SEC02: How do you manage authentication for people and machines?
There are two types of identities you need to manage when approaching operating secure AWS workloads. Understanding the type of identity you need to manage and grant access helps you ensure the right identities have access to the right resources under the right conditions. Human identities: Your administrators, developers, operators, and end users require an identity to access your AWS environments and applications. Machine identities: Your service applications, operational tools, and workloads require an identity to make requests to AWS services, for example, to read data. For both types of identities, manage their authentication centrally, and ensure that they're only granted the minimum access required to perform their function.
Best Practices
This question includes the following best practices:
Key Concepts
Identity Types and Management
Human Identities: People who need access to your AWS environment, including:
- Administrators who manage infrastructure and security
- Developers who build and deploy applications
- Operators who monitor and maintain systems
- End users who consume applications and services
- External partners and contractors with limited access needs
Machine Identities: Non-human entities that require access to AWS services:
- Applications and microservices
- CI/CD pipelines and automation tools
- Monitoring and logging systems
- Backup and disaster recovery processes
- Third-party integrations and APIs
Authentication Fundamentals
Strong Authentication: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) combining something you know (password), something you have (device), and something you are (biometrics).
Temporary Credentials: Short-lived credentials that automatically expire, reducing the risk of credential compromise and eliminating the need for credential rotation.
Centralized Identity Management: Single source of truth for identity information, enabling consistent authentication policies and simplified user lifecycle management.
Zero Trust Authentication: Verify every authentication request regardless of location or previous authentication status.
AWS Services to Consider
Implementation Approach
1. Identity Strategy and Planning
- Inventory all human and machine identities in your environment
- Define authentication requirements for different identity types
- Choose appropriate identity providers for your organization
- Plan integration with existing identity systems
- Establish identity governance policies and procedures
2. Human Identity Management
- Implement centralized identity provider (AWS IAM Identity Center or external IdP)
- Configure multi-factor authentication for all human users
- Set up single sign-on (SSO) for AWS and applications
- Implement role-based access control aligned with job functions
- Establish user lifecycle management processes
3. Machine Identity Management
- Replace long-term credentials with IAM roles where possible
- Implement service-to-service authentication using IAM roles
- Secure application secrets using AWS Secrets Manager
- Configure automatic credential rotation for necessary secrets
- Implement least privilege access for all machine identities
4. Authentication Security Controls
- Enforce strong password policies and MFA requirements
- Implement conditional access based on risk factors
- Monitor authentication events and detect anomalies
- Establish incident response procedures for identity compromise
- Regular audit and review of authentication configurations
Authentication Architecture Patterns
Workforce Identity Federation
Application Authentication Flow
Customer Identity Management
Security Controls Framework
Preventive Controls
- Strong Authentication: MFA, strong passwords, biometric authentication
- Access Policies: Least privilege, time-based access, conditional access
- Credential Management: Temporary credentials, automatic rotation, secure storage
- Network Controls: IP restrictions, VPN requirements, device compliance
Detective Controls
- Authentication Monitoring: Login attempts, unusual access patterns, failed authentications
- Credential Usage Tracking: API calls, resource access, privilege escalation attempts
- Compliance Monitoring: Policy violations, configuration drift, unauthorized changes
- Threat Detection: Compromised credentials, insider threats, external attacks
- Investigation Workflows: Use Amazon Detective for root cause analysis of authentication anomalies and suspicious identity activities
- Automated Findings: Leverage AWS Security Hub automated findings to identify authentication-related security issues, credential misuse patterns, and identity policy violations
- Secure Investigation Environment: Utilize AWS CloudShell for secure, browser-based investigation workflows with proper session management and temporary credential handling
Responsive Controls
- Incident Response: Credential compromise procedures, account lockout, emergency access
- Automated Remediation: Suspicious activity response, policy enforcement, access revocation
- Recovery Procedures: Account restoration, credential reset, access re-establishment
- Communication: User notifications, security team alerts, management reporting
Common Challenges and Solutions
Challenge: Password Fatigue and Weak Passwords
Solution: Implement single sign-on (SSO) to reduce password burden, enforce strong password policies, and require multi-factor authentication for all accounts.
Challenge: Long-term Credential Management
Solution: Replace long-term credentials with temporary credentials using IAM roles, implement automatic credential rotation, and use managed services for credential storage.
Challenge: Identity Sprawl Across Multiple Systems
Solution: Implement centralized identity management with federation, standardize on common identity providers, and establish consistent authentication policies.
Challenge: Machine Identity Security
Solution: Use IAM roles for service-to-service authentication, implement least privilege access, and regularly audit machine identity permissions.
Challenge: Third-party Integration Security
Solution: Use external IDs for cross-account access, implement time-limited access, and apply additional monitoring for third-party activities.
Authentication Maturity Levels
Level 1: Basic Authentication
- Username and password authentication
- Manual user provisioning and deprovisioning
- Basic logging of authentication events
- Individual account management
Level 2: Enhanced Authentication
- Multi-factor authentication implemented
- Centralized identity provider in use
- Automated user lifecycle management
- Role-based access control
Level 3: Advanced Authentication
- Single sign-on across all systems
- Risk-based authentication and conditional access
- Automated credential rotation and management
- Comprehensive authentication monitoring
Level 4: Intelligent Authentication
- AI/ML-powered risk assessment
- Behavioral authentication patterns
- Predictive threat detection
- Automated response to authentication anomalies
Best Practices Summary
For Human Identities:
- Centralize Identity Management: Use AWS IAM Identity Center or integrate with existing identity providers
- Enforce Strong Authentication: Require MFA for all human users
- Implement SSO: Reduce password fatigue and improve user experience
- Use Temporary Credentials: Avoid long-term access keys for human users
- Regular Access Reviews: Periodically review and validate user access
For Machine Identities:
- Use IAM Roles: Replace long-term credentials with IAM roles wherever possible
- Secure Secret Storage: Use AWS Secrets Manager for necessary secrets
- Implement Rotation: Automatically rotate credentials that cannot be replaced with roles
- Least Privilege: Grant only the minimum permissions required
- Monitor Usage: Track and audit machine identity access patterns