VladDBA
  • Home
  • Scripts
    • All Scripts
    • PSBlitz
    • Get database file sizes
    • Get table and index sizes
    • Lightwieght SQL login password audit
    • Measure write speeds in SQL Server
    • Reseed out-of-sync sequences
    • Import connections from SSMS 21 to SSMS 22
  • Diagnose your SQL Server
  • SQL Server Security
    • Securing SQL Server’s service account
    • Securing SQL Server linked servers
    • Securing xp_cmdshell in SQL Server
    • Regain access to the sa login
    • Gain sysadmin role via trustworthy database
    • Cracking SQL Server login passwords online
    • Cracking SQL Server login passwords offline
  • My SSMS Configurations
    • SSMS 22
    • SSMS 19
  • SSMS Tips & Tricks
VladDBA
  • Home
  • Scripts
    • All Scripts
    • PSBlitz
    • Get database file sizes
    • Get table and index sizes
    • Lightwieght SQL login password audit
    • Measure write speeds in SQL Server
    • Reseed out-of-sync sequences
    • Import connections from SSMS 21 to SSMS 22
  • Diagnose your SQL Server
  • SQL Server Security
    • Securing SQL Server’s service account
    • Securing SQL Server linked servers
    • Securing xp_cmdshell in SQL Server
    • Regain access to the sa login
    • Gain sysadmin role via trustworthy database
    • Cracking SQL Server login passwords online
    • Cracking SQL Server login passwords offline
  • My SSMS Configurations
    • SSMS 22
    • SSMS 19
  • SSMS Tips & Tricks
VladDBA
VladDBA
  • Home
  • Scripts
    • All Scripts
    • PSBlitz
    • Get database file sizes
    • Get table and index sizes
    • Lightwieght SQL login password audit
    • Measure write speeds in SQL Server
    • Reseed out-of-sync sequences
    • Import connections from SSMS 21 to SSMS 22
  • Diagnose your SQL Server
  • SQL Server Security
    • Securing SQL Server’s service account
    • Securing SQL Server linked servers
    • Securing xp_cmdshell in SQL Server
    • Regain access to the sa login
    • Gain sysadmin role via trustworthy database
    • Cracking SQL Server login passwords online
    • Cracking SQL Server login passwords offline
  • My SSMS Configurations
    • SSMS 22
    • SSMS 19
  • SSMS Tips & Tricks

©2026 - Vlad Drumea - All rights reserved.

  • PowerShellScripts

    PSBlitz 6.1.0: new backup and security checks, Excel improvements

    by Vlad Drumea May 28, 2026
    by Vlad Drumea May 28, 2026 0 comments 3 minutes read

    PSBlitz 6.1.0 is out and it brings new backup and security checks, improved Excel handling, support for the ImportExcel PowerShell module, as well as other improvements. What is PSBlitz? For …

    2 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditCopy LinkEmail
  • SecuritySQL Server

    SQL Server permissions that can lead to privilege escalation

    by Vlad Drumea May 22, 2026
    by Vlad Drumea May 22, 2026 2 comments 9 minutes read

    In this post I cover SQL Server roles and permissions that can act as viable avenues for privilege escalation to sysadmin. A while ago, I wrote a blog post about …

    3 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditCopy LinkEmail
  • Recovery

    Test SQL Server backups to avoid Schrödinger’s backups

    by Vlad Drumea April 23, 2026
    by Vlad Drumea April 23, 2026 0 comments 14 minutes read

    This post is my guideline on how to handle and test SQL Server backups to ensure their viability and avoid a “Schrödinger’s backup” scenario. What’s Schrödinger’s backup? The term is …

    4 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditCopy LinkEmail
  • PowerShellSecurity

    Cracking SQL Server 2025 login passwords offline with hashcat

    by Vlad Drumea April 16, 2026
    by Vlad Drumea April 16, 2026 0 comments 10 minutes read

    In this blog post I demo cracking SQL Server 2025 login passwords offline with hashcat, including the current stable release (7.1.2) which doesn’t officially support MSSQL 2025. Note: If you’re …

    5 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditCopy LinkEmail
  • Security

    Using dynamic T-SQL? Parametrization alone can’t prevent SQL injection

    by Vlad Drumea April 15, 2026
    by Vlad Drumea April 15, 2026 0 comments 15 minutes read

    In this post I’ll go over three points that are vital in preventing SQL injection when working with dynamic T-SQL. What is SQL injection SQL injection (aka SQLi) is a …

    3 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditCopy LinkEmail
  • Uncategorized

    T-SQL Tuesday #197 – An impactful session changed my DBA career

    by Vlad Drumea April 14, 2026
    by Vlad Drumea April 14, 2026 0 comments 2 minutes read

    This is my second time participating in T-SQL Tuesday, and Steve Hughes‘s invitation about an impactful session from a conference brought back some memories from 11 years ago. My experience …

    4 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditCopy LinkEmail
  • Misconceptions

    PSA: Stop using FLOAT to store financial data in SQL Server

    by Vlad Drumea April 11, 2026
    by Vlad Drumea April 11, 2026 0 comments 4 minutes read

    In this post I provide some examples as to why FLOAT isn’t the best option for storing exact financial data in SQL Server. During the last couple of years I’ve …

    4 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditCopy LinkEmail
  • PowerShellSQL Server

    PSBlitz v6.0.0: GUI Mode, HTML Overhaul, and Google Cloud SQL Support

    by Vlad Drumea March 23, 2026
    by Vlad Drumea March 23, 2026 0 comments 2 minutes read

    It took me a while, considering the previous release was back in December, but the latest release of PSBlitz (6.0.0) is finally out and it brings GUI Mode, Dark Mode, …

    10 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditCopy LinkEmail
  • SQL Server

    SSMS 22.4.1 exports results to Excel, JSON, Markdown, and XML

    by Vlad Drumea March 20, 2026
    by Vlad Drumea March 20, 2026 0 comments 3 minutes read

    The latest update to SSMS 22 adds 4 new results export formats: Excel, JSON, Markdown, and XML.In this post I cover where to find the new export formats and one …

    9 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditCopy LinkEmail
  • SQL ServerTips And Tricks

    Change the edition of a SQL Server on Linux instance

    by Vlad Drumea February 3, 2026
    by Vlad Drumea February 3, 2026 0 comments 2 minutes read

    In this post I cover the steps required to change (downgrade or upgrade) the edition of a SQL Server instance running on Linux. In my previous post I’ve went through …

    8 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditCopy LinkEmail
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About Me

About Me

Hi! I'm Vlad Drumea

I'm a Microsoft Data Platform MVP specializing in SQL Server performance, security, and automation. With 14+ years in large, mission-critical environments, including substantial Oracle tuning work, I bring a cross-platform edge to every project.

Holding a Data Platform MCSE, OSCP, and PNPT, I combine deep database expertise with an attacker's perspective on security.

I'm the author of PSBlitz, an open-source SQL Server diagnostic tool, and I write about SQL Server, InfoSec, and PowerShell on this blog.


Vlad Drumea Microsoft Data Platform MVP

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Recent Posts

  • PSBlitz 6.1.0: new backup and security checks, Excel improvements

    May 28, 2026
  • SQL Server permissions that can lead to privilege escalation

    May 22, 2026
  • Test SQL Server backups to avoid Schrödinger’s backups

    April 23, 2026
  • Cracking SQL Server 2025 login passwords offline with hashcat

    April 16, 2026
  • Using dynamic T-SQL? Parametrization alone can’t prevent SQL injection

    April 15, 2026

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VladDBA
  • Home
  • Scripts
    • All Scripts
    • PSBlitz
    • Get database file sizes
    • Get table and index sizes
    • Lightwieght SQL login password audit
    • Measure write speeds in SQL Server
    • Reseed out-of-sync sequences
    • Import connections from SSMS 21 to SSMS 22
  • Diagnose your SQL Server
  • SQL Server Security
    • Securing SQL Server’s service account
    • Securing SQL Server linked servers
    • Securing xp_cmdshell in SQL Server
    • Regain access to the sa login
    • Gain sysadmin role via trustworthy database
    • Cracking SQL Server login passwords online
    • Cracking SQL Server login passwords offline
  • My SSMS Configurations
    • SSMS 22
    • SSMS 19
  • SSMS Tips & Tricks