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🛡️ AWS CloudTrail Unauthorized API Calls Monitoring is not enabled🟢⚪

  • Contextual name: 🛡️ Unauthorized API Calls Monitoring is not enabled🟢⚪
  • ID: /ce/ca/aws/cloudtrail/unauthorized-api-calls-monitoring
  • Tags:
  • Policy Type: COMPLIANCE_POLICY
  • Policy Categories: SECURITY

Similar Policies​

Similar Internal Rules​

RulePoliciesFlags
✉️ dec-x-9b3ad9c41

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 unauthorized API calls.

Rationale​

Monitoring unauthorized API calls will help reduce time to detect malicious activity and can alert you to a potential security incident.

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.

Impact​

This alert may be triggered by normal read-only console activities that attempt to opportunistically gather optional information, but gracefully fail if they don't have permissions.

If an excessive number of alerts are being generated then an organization may wish to consider adding read access to the limited IAM user permissions simply to quiet the alerts.

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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 unauthorized API calls 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 "<unauthorized_api_calls_metric>" --metric-transformations metricName=unauthorized_api_calls_metric,metricNamespace=CISBenchmark,metricValue=1 --filter-pattern "{ ($.errorCode =\"*UnauthorizedOperation\") || ($.errorCode =\"AccessDenied*\") && ($.sourceIPAddress!=\"delivery.logs.amazonaws.com\") && ($.eventName!=\"HeadBucket\") }"

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 re-use the same topic for all monitoring alarms.

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policy.yaml​

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Linked Framework Sections​

SectionSub SectionsInternal RulesPoliciesFlagsCompliance
💼 CIS AWS v1.2.0 → 💼 3.1 Ensure a log metric filter and alarm exist for unauthorized API calls1no data
💼 CIS AWS v1.3.0 → 💼 4.1 Ensure a log metric filter and alarm exist for unauthorized API calls1no data
💼 CIS AWS v1.4.0 → 💼 4.1 Ensure a log metric filter and alarm exist for unauthorized API calls1no data
💼 CIS AWS v1.5.0 → 💼 4.1 Ensure a log metric filter and alarm exist for unauthorized API calls - Level 1 (Automated)1no data
💼 CIS AWS v2.0.0 → 💼 4.1 Ensure unauthorized API calls are monitored - Level 2 (Manual)1no data
💼 CIS AWS v3.0.0 → 💼 4.1 Ensure unauthorized API calls are monitored - Level 2 (Manual)1no data
💼 CIS AWS v4.0.0 → 💼 4.1 Ensure unauthorized API calls are monitored (Automated)1no data
💼 CIS AWS v4.0.1 → 💼 4.1 Ensure unauthorized API calls are monitored (Automated)1no data
💼 CIS AWS v5.0.0 → 💼 4.1 Ensure unauthorized API calls are monitored (Automated)1no data
💼 CIS AWS v6.0.0 → 💼 5.1 Ensure unauthorized API calls are monitored (Automated)1no data
💼 Cloudaware Framework → 💼 Alerting and Notification27no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 AU-12 Audit Record Generation (L)(M)(H)265no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SI-4(20) Privileged Users (H)4851no data
💼 FedRAMP Low Security Controls → 💼 AU-12 Audit Record Generation (L)(M)(H)65no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 AU-12 Audit Record Generation (L)(M)(H)65no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 DE.CM-01: Networks and network services are monitored to find potentially adverse events145no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 DE.CM-03: Personnel activity and technology usage are monitored to find potentially adverse events85no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 DE.CM-09: Computing hardware and software, runtime environments, and their data are monitored to find potentially adverse events142no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 AU-12 Audit Record Generation44765no data