Audit and rotate credentials periodically

Auditing and rotating credentials periodically is critical to reducing the risks associated with long-term credentials. Regular rotation limits the lifespan of credentials, reducing the likelihood that compromised credentials could be used maliciously. By establishing a process for auditing and rotating credentials, you ensure that access to your resources remains secure and compliant with best practices.

1. Regularly audit credential usage: Implement automated processes to audit the use of long-term credentials. Regular audits allow you to identify inactive or unused credentials and revoke access that is no longer necessary, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
2. Rotate credentials on a set schedule: Define a schedule for rotating long-term credentials such as API keys, passwords, and access keys. Regular rotation ensures that even if credentials are compromised, they will expire and be replaced within a short time, minimizing the impact.
3. Automate credential rotation: Use services such as AWS Secrets Manager or AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store to automate the rotation of credentials. Automated rotation reduces human error and ensures that the process is followed consistently.
4. Enforce short-lived credentials: Where possible, use temporary credentials or short-lived access tokens to limit the risks associated with long-term credentials. AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles and AWS Security Token Service (STS) can help generate temporary, time-bound credentials that expire after use.
5. Monitor for credential anomalies: Leverage monitoring tools to detect abnormal credential usage, such as access from unexpected locations or usage patterns. This helps identify compromised credentials quickly and prompts immediate rotation or revocation.

Supporting Questions:

• How do you audit the usage of long-term credentials in your environment?
• What tools or processes do you use to automate the rotation of credentials?
• How do you enforce and monitor the rotation and expiration of credentials?

Roles and Responsibilities:

Security Officer:

• Responsibilities:
  • Define policies and schedules for the regular rotation of long-term credentials.
  • Ensure that audit processes are in place to review credential usage and detect inactive or unused credentials.
  • Monitor credential access for anomalies and respond to potential security incidents.

Cloud Administrator:

• Responsibilities:
  • Automate credential rotation using AWS Secrets Manager or other tools.
  • Enforce the use of temporary credentials where possible to minimize reliance on long-term access keys.
  • Configure monitoring tools to alert on unusual credential activity or access from unexpected locations.

Artefacts:

• Credential Rotation Policies: Documentation outlining the frequency and process for rotating credentials across the environment.
• Audit Logs: Records from AWS CloudTrail or other tools that track credential usage, including access patterns and any anomalies.
• Rotation Reports: Reports generated by automated tools showing when and how credentials were rotated and whether they are compliant with rotation policies.

Relevant AWS Services:

• AWS Secrets Manager: A service that automates the rotation, storage, and retrieval of database credentials, API keys, and other secrets, ensuring that credentials are rotated according to policy.
• AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store: Provides a secure way to store and manage parameters and credentials, with the ability to automate credential rotation.
• AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): Facilitates the creation and management of temporary credentials via IAM roles, reducing the reliance on long-term access keys.
• AWS CloudTrail: Monitors and logs credential usage and changes, providing an audit trail for credential access and anomalies.
• AWS Security Token Service (STS): Generates temporary, short-lived credentials for users or applications, helping to reduce the risks associated with long-term credentials.