Skip to main content

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Google IAM Service Account has User-Managed Keys๐ŸŸข

  • Contextual name: ๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Service Account has User-Managed Keys๐ŸŸข
  • ID: /ce/ca/google/iam/service-account-keys
  • Tags:
  • Policy Type: COMPLIANCE_POLICY
  • Policy Categories: SECURITY

Logicโ€‹

Similar Policiesโ€‹

Descriptionโ€‹

Open File

Descriptionโ€‹

User-managed service accounts should not have user-managed keys.

Rationaleโ€‹

Anyone who has access to the keys will be able to access resources through the service account. GCP-managed keys are used by Cloud Platform services such as App Engine and Compute Engine. These keys cannot be downloaded. Google will keep the keys and automatically rotate them on an approximately weekly basis. User-managed keys are created, downloadable, and managed by users. They expire 10 years from creation.

For user-managed keys, the user has to take ownership of key management activities which include:

 โ€ข Key storage
โ€ข Key distribution
โ€ข Key revocation
โ€ข Key rotation
โ€ข Protecting the keys from unauthorized users
โ€ข Key recovery

Even with key owner precautions, keys can be easily leaked by common development malpractices like checking keys into the source code or leaving them in the Downloads directory, or accidentally leaving them on support blogs/channels.

It is recommended to prevent user-managed service account keys.

... see more

Remediationโ€‹

Open File

Remediationโ€‹

From Google Cloud Consoleโ€‹

  1. Go to the IAM page in the GCP Console using https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/iam
  2. In the left navigation pane, click Service accounts. All service accounts and their corresponding keys are listed.
  3. Click the service account.
  4. Click the edit and delete the keys.

From Google Cloud CLIโ€‹

To delete a user managed Service Account Key:

gcloud iam service-accounts keys delete --iam-account=<user-managed-service-account-EMAIL> <KEY-ID>

policy.yamlโ€‹

Open File

Linked Framework Sectionsโ€‹

SectionSub SectionsInternal RulesPoliciesFlagsCompliance
๐Ÿ’ผ CIS GCP v1.2.0 โ†’ ๐Ÿ’ผ 1.4 Ensure that there are only GCP-managed service account keys for each service account - Level 1 (Automated)1no data
๐Ÿ’ผ CIS GCP v1.3.0 โ†’ ๐Ÿ’ผ 1.4 Ensure That There Are Only GCP-Managed Service Account Keys for Each Service Account - Level 1 (Automated)1no data
๐Ÿ’ผ CIS GCP v2.0.0 โ†’ ๐Ÿ’ผ 1.4 Ensure That There Are Only GCP-Managed Service Account Keys for Each Service Account - Level 1 (Automated)1no data
๐Ÿ’ผ CIS GCP v3.0.0 โ†’ ๐Ÿ’ผ 1.4 Ensure That There Are Only GCP-Managed Service Account Keys for Each Service Account - Level 1 (Automated)1no data
๐Ÿ’ผ Cloudaware Framework โ†’ ๐Ÿ’ผ Credential Lifecycle Management18no data