The "UpdateLoginProfile" IAM action allows users to modify their own login profile, including their password. However, if an IAM user has permissions to modify another user's login profile, they can potentially change the password of that user and gain access to their account, resulting in privilege escalation. For example, if an IAM user has a policy that allows them to update the login profile of any IAM user in the account, they could use this to gain access to other users' accounts and perform actions that they are not authorized to do.An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by creating a new login profile for a victim user, logging in as that user, and performing actions that they are not authorized to do.It is important to ensure that IAM users are only given the minimum permissions necessary to perform their required tasks, and that access to sensitive actions like "UpdateLoginProfile" is carefully controlled.
The remediation steps for this violation can be as follows:
- Remove the privileges granted in the login profile update: If you suspect that an IAM user has executed a privilege escalation attack by updating their own login profile, you should immediately remove any privileges granted in the update.
- Investigate the root cause: Determine how the IAM user was able to gain access to update their login profile in the first place. Review your IAM policies, roles, and groups to see if there are any misconfigurations that may have allowed the user to update their profile in a way that granted them greater access.
- Restrict IAM user permissions: If you find that the IAM user had permissions that were too broad, you should restrict their permissions to only the resources they need to access.
- Monitor IAM activity: Set up IAM user activity logs and monitor them for suspicious activity. This can help you detect future privilege escalation attempts and take action to prevent them before they cause harm.
- Implement least privilege: Always follow the principle of least privilege when granting IAM permissions to users. This means only granting them access to the resources they need to perform their job functions and no more.
Note: Remediation steps provided by Lightlytics are meant to be suggestions and guidelines only. It is crucial to thoroughly verify and test any remediation steps before applying them to production environments. Each organization's infrastructure and security needs may differ, and blindly applying suggested remediation steps without proper testing could potentially cause unforeseen issues or vulnerabilities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you validate and customize any remediation steps to meet your organization's specific requirements and ensure that they align with your security policies and best practices.
