📝 Google GCE Instance Block Project-Wide SSH Keys is not enabled 🟢

• Contextual name: 📝 Instance Block Project-Wide SSH Keys is not enabled 🟢
• ID: /ce/ca/google/compute-engine/instance-project-wide-ssh-key
• Located in: 📁 Google GCE

Flags

• 🟢 Policy with categories
• 🟢 Policy with type
• 🟢 Production policy

Our Metadata

• Policy Type: COMPLIANCE_POLICY
• Policy Category:
  • SECURITY

Similar Policies

• Cloud Conformity
  • Enable 'Block Project-Wide SSH Keys' Security Feature

Logic

• 🧠 prod.logic.yaml 🟢
  • 📕 Google GCE Instance
  • 🔌 Google GCE Instance - object.extracts.yaml
  • 🧪 test-data.json

Description

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Description

It is recommended to use Instance specific SSH key(s) instead of using common/shared project-wide SSH key(s) to access Instances.

Rationale

Project-wide SSH keys are stored in Compute/Project-meta-data. Project wide SSH keys can be used to login into all the instances within project. Using project-wide SSH keys eases the SSH key management but if compromised, poses the security risk which can impact all the instances within project. It is recommended to use Instance specific SSH keys which can limit the attack surface if the SSH keys are compromised.

Impact

Users already having Project-wide ssh key pairs and using third party SSH clients will lose access to the impacted Instances. For Project users using gcloud or GCP Console based SSH option, no manual key creation and distribution is required and will be handled by GCE (Google Compute Engine) itself. To access Instance using third party SSH clients Instance specific SSH key pairs need to be created and distributed to the required users.

Audit

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Remediation

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Remediation

From Google Cloud Console

1. Go to the VM instances page by visiting: https://console.cloud.google.com/compute/instances. It will list all the instances in your project.
2. Click on the name of the Impacted instance
3. Click Edit in the toolbar
4. Under SSH Keys, go to the Block project-wide SSH keys checkbox
5. To block users with project-wide SSH keys from connecting to this instance, select Block project-wide SSH keys
6. Click Save at the bottom of the page
7. Repeat steps for every impacted Instance

From Google Cloud CLI

To block project-wide public SSH keys, set the metadata value to TRUE:

        gcloud compute instances add-metadata <INSTANCE_NAME> --metadata block-project-ssh-keys=TRUE

policy.yaml

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Linked Framework Sections

Section	Sub Sections	Internal Rules	Policies	Flags
💼 CIS GCP v3.0.0 → 💼 4.3 Ensure “Block Project-Wide SSH Keys” Is Enabled for VM Instances - Level 1 (Automated)			1
💼 Cloudaware Framework → 💼 Secure Access			43