Root account password change remediation

Triage and Remediation

How to Prevent

Using Console

Using CLI

To prevent the misconfiguration where the root account should have password rotation in IAM using AWS CLI, you can follow these steps:

Create a Password Policy: Ensure that a password policy is in place that enforces password rotation. This policy can specify the maximum password age, requiring users to change their passwords periodically.
```
aws iam update-account-password-policy --max-password-age 90
```
Enable MFA for Root Account: Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for the root account adds an extra layer of security, making it harder for unauthorized users to access the account even if they have the password.
```
aws iam enable-mfa-device --user-name root --serial-number <MFA_DEVICE_SERIAL> --authentication-code-1 <MFA_CODE_1> --authentication-code-2 <MFA_CODE_2>
```
Create IAM Users with Limited Permissions: Instead of using the root account for daily operations, create IAM users with the necessary permissions. This reduces the risk associated with the root account.
```
aws iam create-user --user-name <USER_NAME>
aws iam attach-user-policy --user-name <USER_NAME> --policy-arn <POLICY_ARN>
```
Monitor Root Account Usage: Regularly monitor the usage of the root account to ensure it is not being used for routine tasks. This can be done by setting up CloudTrail to log and review root account activities.
```
aws cloudtrail create-trail --name <TRAIL_NAME> --s3-bucket-name <S3_BUCKET_NAME>
aws cloudtrail start-logging --name <TRAIL_NAME>
```

By following these steps, you can ensure that the root account is secured and that password rotation policies are enforced, reducing the risk of misconfigurations.

Using Python

To prevent the misconfiguration of not rotating the root account password in IAM using Python scripts, you can follow these steps:

1. Set Up AWS SDK (Boto3)

First, ensure you have the AWS SDK for Python (Boto3) installed. You can install it using pip if you haven’t already:

pip install boto3

2. Create a Python Script to Check Password Age

Create a Python script that checks the age of the root account password. If the password is older than a specified threshold (e.g., 90 days), it will trigger an alert or take action.

import boto3
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

# Initialize a session using Amazon IAM
client = boto3.client('iam')

# Define the threshold for password age (e.g., 90 days)
threshold_days = 90

# Get account password policy
response = client.get_account_password_policy()

# Get the last password change date
password_last_changed = response['PasswordPolicy']['PasswordLastUsed']

# Calculate the age of the password
password_age = datetime.now() - password_last_changed

# Check if the password age exceeds the threshold
if password_age > timedelta(days=threshold_days):
    print("Root account password needs to be rotated.")
else:
    print("Root account password is within the acceptable age limit.")

3. Automate the Script Execution

To ensure continuous monitoring, automate the execution of the script using a cron job or AWS Lambda function. For example, you can set up a cron job to run the script daily.

Example Cron Job (Linux/Mac):

# Open the crontab editor
crontab -e

# Add the following line to run the script daily at midnight
0 0 * * * /usr/bin/python3 /path/to/your/script.py

4. Set Up Notifications

Integrate the script with an alerting system (e.g., AWS SNS) to notify administrators when the root account password needs to be rotated.

import boto3
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

# Initialize a session using Amazon IAM
client = boto3.client('iam')
sns_client = boto3.client('sns')

# Define the threshold for password age (e.g., 90 days)
threshold_days = 90

# Get account password policy
response = client.get_account_password_policy()

# Get the last password change date
password_last_changed = response['PasswordPolicy']['PasswordLastUsed']

# Calculate the age of the password
password_age = datetime.now() - password_last_changed

# Check if the password age exceeds the threshold
if password_age > timedelta(days=threshold_days):
    message = "Root account password needs to be rotated."
    print(message)
    
    # Send notification
    sns_client.publish(
        TopicArn='arn:aws:sns:your-region:your-account-id:your-topic',
        Message=message,
        Subject='Root Account Password Rotation Alert'
    )
else:
    print("Root account password is within the acceptable age limit.")

By following these steps, you can effectively monitor and ensure that the root account password is rotated regularly, thereby preventing the misconfiguration.

AWS Introduction

AWS Pricing

AWS Threats

AWS Misconfigurations

Root account password change remediation

Triage and Remediation

How to Prevent

1. Set Up AWS SDK (Boto3)

2. Create a Python Script to Check Password Age

3. Automate the Script Execution

Example Cron Job (Linux/Mac):

4. Set Up Notifications

AWS Introduction

AWS Pricing

AWS Threats

AWS Misconfigurations

​Triage and Remediation

​How to Prevent

Triage and Remediation

How to Prevent