Manage IAM Users Centrally Rule
This rule ensures IAM users are managed centrally via identity federation or AWS Organizations.
| Rule | Ensure IAM users are managed centrally via identity federation or AWS Organizations for multi-account environments |
| Framework | cis_v130 |
| Severity | ✔ High |
Central Management of IAM Users for Compliance with CIS v1.3.0
To comply with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) AWS Foundations Benchmark v1.3.0, particularly recommendation 1.16, it is critical to manage IAM users centrally. This can be achieved through identity federation or by using AWS Organizations for environments that span multiple AWS accounts. Below is a detailed guideline on enforcing this rule along with troubleshooting and remediation steps.
Central Management Using Identity Federation
Identity federation involves linking a central identity provider (IdP), such as Active Directory or an SSO solution, to AWS, thus allowing users to authenticate using their existing credentials.
Setting up Identity Federation
- 1.
Choose an Identity Provider (IdP): Microsoft AD, Okta, or any SAML 2.0 compliant provider can be used.
- 2.
Create IAM Identity Providers in AWS:
aws iam create-saml-provider --saml-metadata-document file://path_to_saml_metadata.xml --name name_of_saml_provider - 3.
Create IAM Roles with Policies for Federated Users: Define permissions in a role that federated users will assume when accessing AWS resources.
aws iam create-role --role-name federated-role-name --assume-role-policy-document file://trust-policy.json aws iam put-role-policy --role-name federated-role-name --policy-name permissions-policy-name --policy-document file://permissions-policy.json - 4.
Configure SSO: Set up SSO in the IdP to map users and groups to the defined IAM roles.
Troubleshooting Federation Issues
- Verify that the SAML response from the IdP matches with the AWS configuration.
- Check IAM role trust policies for correct SAML provider references.
- Ensure that the IdP is correctly mapping attributes to the SAML assertion.
Central Management Using AWS Organizations
For environments with multiple AWS accounts, AWS Organizations helps in centralizing user management.
Setting Up AWS Organizations
- 1.
Create an Organization:
aws organizations create-organization --feature-set ALL - 2.
Invite or Create Member Accounts:
aws organizations invite-account-to-organization --target (Id=id,Type=ACCOUNT) # or aws organizations create-account --email member@domain.com --account-name "Account Name" - 3.
Apply Service Control Policies (SCPs) to govern permissions across all accounts.
Remediation Steps for AWS Organizations
- Enable all features within AWS Organizations to get full control over the member accounts.
- Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to automate IAM roles creation across accounts.
- Apply least privilege principle when creating SCPs to avoid overly permissive policies.
Troubleshooting AWS Organizations Issues
- Ensure that you have the required permissions in the master account.
- Verify that service control policies (SCPs) are not overly restrictive and blocking IAM operations.
- Check network connectivity between accounts if necessary.
For both identity federation and AWS Organizations, remember to review and update your configurations regularly for security and compliance. Ensure logging is enabled using AWS CloudTrail to monitor and audit IAM activities.
By following these instructions, you can improve your security posture and comply with CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark v1.3.0, specifically ensuring that IAM users are managed centrally – a key factor not only in maintaining sound security practices, but also in enhancing SEO by demonstrating adherence to established cybersecurity standards.