Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Root Account Without MFA

Severity: Critical

What it means

The AWS root account has unrestricted access to everything in your AWS account: billing, all services, all data. It is the single most powerful credential in your entire cloud setup. Without MFA, a compromised root password means complete takeover.

How to fix

1. Sign in to the AWS Console as root.

2. Go to IAM > Dashboard > Activate MFA on your root account.

3. Click Manage MFA > Activate MFA.

4. Choose Virtual MFA device (recommended: use a hardware key like YubiKey for maximum security).

5. Scan the QR code with your authenticator app.

6. Enter two consecutive codes and click Assign MFA.

After enabling MFA, follow AWS best practices:

• Never use the root account for daily tasks. Create IAM users or use IAM Identity Center instead.

• Store the root credentials in a secure, offline location (safe, password manager).

Root Account Used Recently

Severity: High

What it means

The root account has been used to log in within the last 90 days. Like the built-in Administrator in Active Directory, the root account should be reserved for emergencies only (e.g., account recovery, billing changes). Day-to-day work should use IAM users or roles with appropriate permissions.

How to fix

1. Create IAM users or use IAM Identity Center (SSO) for daily administration.

2. Assign only the permissions each person needs (principle of least privilege).

3. Stop using the root account for routine tasks.

4. The alert will clear after 90 days of inactivity on the root account.

IAM Users Without MFA

Severity: Medium

What it means

One or more IAM users can log in to the AWS Console without MFA. If their password is compromised, the attacker gets full access to whatever that user can do in AWS.

How to fix

1. Go to IAM > Users > select the user.

2. Go to the Security credentials tab.

3. Under Multi-factor authentication (MFA), click Manage.

4. Assign an MFA device.

To enforce MFA for all users, create an IAM policy that denies all actions unless MFA is present:

1. Go to IAM > Policies > Create policy.

2. Use the AWS MFA enforcement policy template.

3. Attach it to all user groups.