Root Account Password Should Be Rotated

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

1. Create an IAM User with Administrative Privileges:

   • Instead of using the root account for daily administrative tasks, create an IAM user with administrative privileges.
   • Command:

     aws iam create-user --user-name AdminUser
     aws iam attach-user-policy --user-name AdminUser --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/AdministratorAccess
     

2. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for the Root Account:

   • Ensure that MFA is enabled for the root account to add an extra layer of security.
   • Command:

     aws iam enable-mfa-device --user-name root --serial-number <MFA_DEVICE_SERIAL_NUMBER> --authentication-code-1 <MFA_CODE_1> --authentication-code-2 <MFA_CODE_2>
     

3. Set a Password Policy for IAM Users:

   • Enforce a strong password policy to ensure that all IAM users, including the root account, adhere to security best practices.
   • Command:

     aws iam update-account-password-policy --minimum-password-length 12 --require-symbols --require-numbers --require-uppercase-characters --require-lowercase-characters --allow-users-to-change-password --max-password-age 90 --password-reuse-prevention 5
     

4. Regularly Rotate Access Keys:

   • Regularly rotate access keys for IAM users and avoid using the root account’s access keys.
   • Command to create a new access key:

     aws iam create-access-key --user-name AdminUser
     

   • Command to delete an old access key:

     aws iam delete-access-key --user-name AdminUser --access-key-id <OLD_ACCESS_KEY_ID>
     

By following these steps, you can minimize the risk associated with not rotating the root account password and ensure better security practices in your AWS environment.

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) and Required Libraries:

   • 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 Last Password Change:

   • Write a Python script to check the last time the root account password was changed. This script will use the AWS IAM client to get the password last used information.

   import boto3
   from datetime import datetime, timedelta
   
   # Initialize a session using Amazon IAM
   session = boto3.Session(profile_name='your-profile')
   iam_client = session.client('iam')
   
   # Get account password policy
   password_policy = iam_client.get_account_password_policy()
   
   # Get the root account last password change date
   root_account_last_password_change = iam_client.get_user(UserName='root')['User']['PasswordLastUsed']
   
   # Define the maximum password age (e.g., 90 days)
   max_password_age = timedelta(days=90)
   
   # Check if the password needs to be rotated
   if datetime.now() - root_account_last_password_change > max_password_age:
       print("Root account password needs to be rotated.")
   else:
       print("Root account password is up to date.")
   

3. Automate the Script Execution:

   • Schedule the script to run periodically (e.g., daily) using a task scheduler like cron (Linux) or Task Scheduler (Windows) to ensure continuous monitoring.
   • Example for cron job (Linux):

     crontab -e
     

     Add the following line to run the script daily at midnight:

     0 0 * * * /usr/bin/python3 /path/to/your_script.py
     

4. Send Notifications for Password Rotation:

   • Enhance the script to send notifications (e.g., via email or SNS) if the root account password needs to be rotated.

   import boto3
   from datetime import datetime, timedelta
   
   # Initialize a session using Amazon IAM
   session = boto3.Session(profile_name='your-profile')
   iam_client = session.client('iam')
   sns_client = session.client('sns')
   
   # Get account password policy
   password_policy = iam_client.get_account_password_policy()
   
   # Get the root account last password change date
   root_account_last_password_change = iam_client.get_user(UserName='root')['User']['PasswordLastUsed']
   
   # Define the maximum password age (e.g., 90 days)
   max_password_age = timedelta(days=90)
   
   # Check if the password needs to be rotated
   if datetime.now() - root_account_last_password_change > max_password_age:
       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 up to date.")
   

By following these steps, you can automate the monitoring of the root account password rotation and ensure that you are notified when it needs to be updated, thereby preventing the misconfiguration.