​
Event Information

  • The CreateAccountAlias event in AWS for IAM refers to the action of creating an alias for an AWS account.
  • An account alias is a custom name that can be assigned to an AWS account to make it easier to identify and manage multiple accounts.
  • This event indicates that an account alias has been successfully created, allowing users to refer to the AWS account using the alias instead of the account ID.

​
Examples

  • Misconfiguration of the account alias can lead to potential security risks. For example, if a weak or easily guessable account alias is used, it can make it easier for attackers to launch brute force or dictionary attacks to gain unauthorized access to the account.

  • Inadequate access control policies for managing the account alias can also impact security. If the permissions for modifying or deleting the account alias are not properly restricted, it can allow unauthorized users or malicious insiders to tamper with the alias, potentially leading to unauthorized access or account compromise.

  • Lack of monitoring and auditing of changes to the account alias can also impact security. Without proper logging and monitoring in place, it becomes difficult to detect any unauthorized changes to the account alias, making it harder to identify and respond to potential security incidents or breaches.

​
Remediation

​
Using Console

  1. Example 1: Unused IAM User
  • Step 1: Log in to the AWS Management Console.
  • Step 2: Go to the IAM service.
  • Step 3: Click on “Users” in the left navigation pane.
  • Step 4: Identify the unused IAM user from the list.
  • Step 5: Select the unused IAM user.
  • Step 6: Click on the “Delete User” button.
  • Step 7: Confirm the deletion by clicking on “Yes, Delete”.
  1. Example 2: Overprivileged IAM User
  • Step 1: Log in to the AWS Management Console.
  • Step 2: Go to the IAM service.
  • Step 3: Click on “Users” in the left navigation pane.
  • Step 4: Identify the overprivileged IAM user from the list.
  • Step 5: Select the overprivileged IAM user.
  • Step 6: Click on the “Permissions” tab.
  • Step 7: Review the attached policies and remove any unnecessary or excessive permissions.
  • Step 8: Click on “Attach Policies” to add more restrictive policies if needed.
  1. Example 3: IAM User with Inactive MFA
  • Step 1: Log in to the AWS Management Console.
  • Step 2: Go to the IAM service.
  • Step 3: Click on “Users” in the left navigation pane.
  • Step 4: Identify the IAM user with inactive MFA from the list.
  • Step 5: Select the IAM user.
  • Step 6: Click on the “Security credentials” tab.
  • Step 7: Under “Assigned MFA device”, click on “Manage”.
  • Step 8: Follow the instructions to activate MFA for the user, either by virtual MFA device or hardware MFA device.

​
Using CLI

  1. Ensure IAM users have strong passwords:

    • Use the update-login-profile command to set a strong password for an IAM user: 
      aws iam update-login-profile --user-name <IAM_USER_NAME> --password <NEW_PASSWORD> --password-reset-required

  2. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for IAM users:

    • Use the enable-mfa-device command to enable MFA for an IAM user: 
      aws iam enable-mfa-device --user-name <IAM_USER_NAME> --serial-number <MFA_DEVICE_SERIAL_NUMBER> --authentication-code1 <CODE1> --authentication-code2 <CODE2>

  3. Remove unnecessary IAM access keys:

    • Use the delete-access-key command to delete an IAM access key: 
      aws iam delete-access-key --user-name <IAM_USER_NAME> --access-key-id <ACCESS_KEY_ID>

​
Using Python

  1. Ensure IAM users have strong passwords:
    • Use the boto3 library in Python to retrieve a list of IAM users.
    • For each user, check if their password meets the desired complexity requirements (e.g., minimum length, use of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters).
    • If a user’s password does not meet the requirements, use the update_login_profile method to force a password reset for that user.
import boto3

def enforce_password_policy():
    iam_client = boto3.client('iam')
    users = iam_client.list_users()['Users']
    
    for user in users:
        password_policy = iam_client.get_account_password_policy()
        password_requirements = password_policy['PasswordPolicy']
        
        if not password_requirements['RequireUppercaseCharacters']:
            # Implement your logic to enforce uppercase characters requirement
            pass
        
        if not password_requirements['RequireLowercaseCharacters']:
            # Implement your logic to enforce lowercase characters requirement
            pass
        
        if not password_requirements['RequireNumbers']:
            # Implement your logic to enforce numbers requirement
            pass
        
        if not password_requirements['RequireSymbols']:
            # Implement your logic to enforce special characters requirement
            pass
        
        if password_requirements['MinimumPasswordLength'] < 8:
            # Implement your logic to enforce minimum password length requirement
            pass
        
        # Use the update_login_profile method to force a password reset for the user if needed
        # iam_client.update_login_profile(UserName=user['UserName'], PasswordResetRequired=True)
  1. Monitor and log IAM activity:
    • Use the boto3 library in Python to enable CloudTrail for the AWS account.
    • Configure CloudTrail to log IAM events by specifying the appropriate resource ARNs and event types.
    • Use the boto3 library to retrieve and analyze the CloudTrail logs for IAM-related events.
import boto3

def enable_cloudtrail():
    cloudtrail_client = boto3.client('cloudtrail')
    
    # Enable CloudTrail for the AWS account
    cloudtrail_client.create_trail(
        Name='MyCloudTrail',
        S3BucketName='my-cloudtrail-bucket',
        IsMultiRegionTrail=True
    )
    
    # Configure CloudTrail to log IAM events
    cloudtrail_client.update_trail(
        Name='MyCloudTrail',
        IncludeGlobalServiceEvents=True,
        DataEvents=[
            {
                'ReadWriteType': 'All',
                'Resources': [
                    'arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/*',
                    'arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/*'
                ]
            }
        ]
    )

def analyze_cloudtrail_logs():
    cloudtrail_client = boto3.client('cloudtrail')
    
    # Retrieve CloudTrail logs for IAM-related events
    response = cloudtrail_client.lookup_events(
        LookupAttributes=[
            {
                'AttributeKey': 'EventName',
                'AttributeValue': 'CreateUser'
            }
        ]
    )
    
    # Analyze the CloudTrail logs for IAM-related events
    for event in response['Events']:
        # Implement your logic to analyze the event data
        pass
  1. Implement least privilege access:
    • Use the boto3 library in Python to retrieve a list of IAM roles and their associated policies.
    • For each role, analyze the policies to identify any overly permissive permissions.
    • Modify the policies to enforce least privilege access by removing unnecessary permissions.
import boto3

def enforce_least_privilege():
    iam_client = boto3.client('iam')
    roles = iam_client.list_roles()['Roles']
    
    for role in roles:
        role_name = role['RoleName']
        role_policies = iam_client.list_role_policies(RoleName=role_name)['PolicyNames']
        
        for policy_name in role_policies:
            policy_document = iam_client.get_role_policy(RoleName=role_name, PolicyName=policy_name)['PolicyDocument']
            
            # Implement your logic to analyze the policy document and remove unnecessary permissions
            pass

Please note that the provided code snippets are just examples and may require modification based on your specific requirements and environment.