{"description":"Trending threats, MITRE ATT\u0026CK coverage, and detection metadata. Fed continuously.","favicon":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/favicon-32x32.png","feed_url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/tags/assume-role/feed.json","home_page_url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/","icon":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/apple-touch-icon.png","items":[{"_cs_actors":[],"_cs_cpes":[],"_cs_cves":[],"_cs_exploited":false,"_cs_has_poc":false,"_cs_poc_references":[],"_cs_products":[],"_cs_severities":["medium"],"_cs_tags":["aws","iam","assume-role","brute-force","privilege-escalation"],"_cs_type":"advisory","_cs_vendors":[],"content_html":"\u003cp\u003eThis alert detects potential brute force attempts on AWS IAM AssumeRole policies. While the provided source material is limited to the file's existence within a Splunk security content repository, the detection logic focuses on identifying a high volume of failed \u003ccode\u003eAssumeRole\u003c/code\u003e API calls originating from a single source IP or AWS identity within a short timeframe. Such activity could indicate an attacker attempting to discover valid roles they can assume to gain elevated privileges within an AWS environment. This activity is significant because successful role assumption grants the attacker access to resources and data associated with the assumed role, bypassing standard permission controls. A successful brute force may lead to data exfiltration, service disruption, or further lateral movement within the cloud infrastructure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"attack-chain\"\u003eAttack Chain\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInitial Access Attempt:\u003c/strong\u003e An attacker attempts to gain initial access to an AWS environment, potentially through compromised credentials or an exposed API endpoint.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIdentity Enumeration:\u003c/strong\u003e The attacker begins enumerating available IAM roles within the AWS account to identify potential targets for privilege escalation.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAssumeRole Request:\u003c/strong\u003e The attacker initiates a series of \u003ccode\u003eAssumeRole\u003c/code\u003e API calls, each targeting a different IAM role and potentially using different session names or external IDs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePolicy Evaluation:\u003c/strong\u003e AWS evaluates the IAM policies associated with each role to determine if the attacker's identity is authorized to assume the role.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFailed Assumption Attempts:\u003c/strong\u003e The majority of \u003ccode\u003eAssumeRole\u003c/code\u003e requests fail due to insufficient permissions or incorrect parameters, generating CloudTrail logs with error codes like \u003ccode\u003eAccessDenied\u003c/code\u003e or \u003ccode\u003eInvalidClientTokenId\u003c/code\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSuccessful Assumption (Potential):\u003c/strong\u003e If the attacker successfully identifies a role they are authorized to assume, the \u003ccode\u003eAssumeRole\u003c/code\u003e API call returns temporary security credentials.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrivilege Escalation:\u003c/strong\u003e The attacker uses the temporary security credentials to access resources and perform actions associated with the assumed role, effectively escalating their privileges.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLateral Movement/Data Exfiltration:\u003c/strong\u003e With elevated privileges, the attacker may move laterally within the AWS environment, access sensitive data, or exfiltrate information to an external location.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"impact\"\u003eImpact\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA successful brute force attack on AWS IAM roles can lead to significant damage. While the number of victims is unknown, the potential impact includes unauthorized access to sensitive data, compromised AWS resources, and potential disruption of cloud-based services. The attacker may be able to escalate privileges, move laterally within the AWS environment, and exfiltrate sensitive data. The targeted sectors are broad, as any organization using AWS IAM roles is potentially vulnerable.\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_modified":"2024-01-25T12:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-01-25T12:00:00Z","id":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2024-01-25-aws-iam-assume-role-brute-force/","summary":"Detection of potential brute force attempts against AWS IAM assume role policies, indicating reconnaissance or privilege escalation attempts by a threat actor.","title":"AWS IAM Assume Role Policy Brute Force Attempt","url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2024-01-25-aws-iam-assume-role-brute-force/"}],"language":"en","title":"CraftedSignal Threat Feed - Assume-Role","version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1"}