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📝 AWS CloudTrail Root Account Usage Monitoring is not enabled 🟢

  • Contextual name: 📝 Root Account Usage Monitoring is not enabled 🟢
  • ID: /ce/ca/aws/cloudtrail/root-account-usage-monitoring
  • Located in: 📁 AWS CloudTrail

Flags​

Our Metadata​

  • Policy Type: COMPLIANCE_POLICY
  • Policy Category:
    • SECURITY

Similar Policies​

Similar Internal Rules​

RulePoliciesFlags
✉️ dec-x-e29738211

Description​

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Description​

Real-time monitoring of API calls can be achieved by directing CloudTrail Logs to CloudWatch Logs, or an external Security information and event management (SIEM) environment, and establishing corresponding metric filters and alarms.

It is recommended that a metric filter and alarm be established for root login attempts to detect the unauthorized use, or attempts to use the root account.

Rationale​

CloudWatch is an AWS native service that allows you to observe and monitor resources and applications. CloudTrail logs can also be sent to an external Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) environment for monitoring and alerting.

Monitoring root account logins will provide visibility into the use of a fully privileged account and the opportunity to reduce its usage.

Audit​

If you are using CloudTrails and CloudWatch, perform the following to ensure that there is at least one active multi-region CloudTrail with prescribed metric filters and alarms configured:

  1. Identify the log group name configured for use with active multi-region CloudTrail:

... see more

Remediation​

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Remediation​

If you are using CloudTrails and CloudWatch, perform the following to setup the metric filter, alarm, SNS topic, and subscription:

  1. Create a metric filter based on filter pattern provided which checks for 'Root' account usage and the <cloudtrail_log_group_name> taken from audit step 1:
aws logs put-metric-filter --log-group-name <cloudtrail_log_group_name> --filter-name <root_usage_metric> --metric-transformations metricName=<root_usage_metric>,metricNamespace='CISBenchmark', metricValue=1 --filter-pattern '{ $.userIdentity.type = "Root" && $.userIdentity.invokedBy NOT EXISTS && $.eventType != "AwsServiceEvent" }'

Note: You can choose your own metricName and metricNamespace strings. Using the same metricNamespace for all Foundations Benchmark metrics will group them together.

  1. Create an SNS topic that the alarm will notify:
aws sns create-topic --name <sns_topic_name>

Note: You can execute this command once and then reuse the same topic for all monitoring alarms.

Note: Capture the TopicArn that is displayed when creating the SNS topic in

... see more

policy.yaml​

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Linked Framework Sections​

SectionSub SectionsInternal RulesPoliciesFlags
💼 CIS AWS v1.2.0 → 💼 3.3 Ensure a log metric filter and alarm exist for usage of 'root' account1
💼 CIS AWS v1.3.0 → 💼 4.3 Ensure a log metric filter and alarm exist for usage of 'root' account1
💼 CIS AWS v1.4.0 → 💼 4.3 Ensure a log metric filter and alarm exist for usage of 'root' account1
💼 CIS AWS v1.5.0 → 💼 4.3 Ensure a log metric filter and alarm exist for usage of 'root' account - Level 1 (Automated)1
💼 CIS AWS v2.0.0 → 💼 4.3 Ensure usage of 'root' account is monitored - Level 1 (Manual)1
💼 CIS AWS v3.0.0 → 💼 4.3 Ensure usage of 'root' account is monitored - Level 1 (Manual)1
💼 CIS AWS v4.0.0 → 💼 4.3 Ensure usage of the 'root' account is monitored (Manual)1
💼 CIS AWS v4.0.1 → 💼 4.3 Ensure usage of the 'root' account is monitored (Manual)1
💼 CIS AWS v5.0.0 → 💼 4.3 Ensure usage of the 'root' account is monitored (Manual)1
💼 Cloudaware Framework → 💼 Alerting and Notification25
💼 Cloudaware Framework → 💼 User Account Management14
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 AU-12 Audit Record Generation (L)(M)(H)247
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SI-4(20) Privileged Users (H)4648
💼 FedRAMP Low Security Controls → 💼 AU-12 Audit Record Generation (L)(M)(H)47
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 AU-12 Audit Record Generation (L)(M)(H)47
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 DE.CM-01: Networks and network services are monitored to find potentially adverse events83
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 DE.CM-03: Personnel activity and technology usage are monitored to find potentially adverse events59
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 DE.CM-09: Computing hardware and software, runtime environments, and their data are monitored to find potentially adverse events89
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 AU-12 Audit Record Generation44547