To securely use SQL Server, Microsoft recommends using Windows Integrated Security. In Windows Integrated Security mode, passwords are never stored as your Windows Domain sign-on is used as the security identifier to the database server.
Password and login ID of a registered SQL Server user in Enterprise Manager for SQL Server can be easily retrieved using SQL DMO (Distributed Management Object). Create file SQLPasswords.vbs and open it in Notepad. Add the following code and save it:
Dim pApplication
Set pApplication = CreateObject("SQLDMO.Application")
Call EnumGroups(pApplication.ServerGroups)
Sub EnumGroups(ByVal pGroups)
Dim pServerGroup
Dim pRegServer
For Each pServerGroup In pGroups
If pServerGroup.RegisteredServers.Count > 0 Then
Msgbox "Group :" & pServerGroup.Name
For Each pRegServer In pServerGroup.RegisteredServers
Msgbox "Name:" & pRegServer.Name
Msgbox "Login:" & pRegServer.Login
Msgbox "Password:" & pRegServer.Password
Next
End If
If pServerGroup.ServerGroups.Count > 0 Then
Call EnumGroups(pServerGroup.ServerGroups)
End If
Next
End Sub
the script and this will retrieve the passwords of registered servers using your account. If the ‘Always prompt for login name and password’ checkbox is not set when registering a SQL Server, the login ID and password is weakly encrypted and stored in the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftMSSQLServerSQLEWRegistered Server X.
How SQL Server stores passwords (SQL accounts) : See article at
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/vbscript/SQLServerPasswords.aspx
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