Lessons

Setting up IAM Access Keys Rotation for Improved Security

Introduction

In this lesson, we will learn how to set up IAM access keys rotation for improved security in AWS. Access keys are used to authenticate and authorize access to AWS resources, and it is important to regularly rotate them to reduce the risk of unauthorized access. We will explore practical examples using AWS CDK with Typescript to automate the process of access keys rotation.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

  • An AWS account
  • AWS CDK installed on your local machine
  • Basic knowledge of IAM and AWS CDK

Setting up IAM Access Keys Rotation with AWS CDK

Step 1: Create a new AWS CDK project

First, create a new AWS CDK project using the following command:

cdk init app --language=typescript

Step 2: Install the necessary dependencies

Next, install the necessary dependencies for IAM access keys rotation:

npm install @aws-cdk/aws-iam

Step 3: Define the IAM role with access keys rotation policy

In your CDK stack, define an IAM role with a policy that enables access keys rotation. Here is an example code snippet:

import * as iam from '@aws-cdk/aws-iam';

const rotationPolicy = new iam.PolicyStatement({
  actions: ['iam:UpdateAccessKey'],
  resources: ['*'],
});

const role = new iam.Role(this, 'RotationRole', {
  assumedBy: new iam.ServicePrincipal('lambda.amazonaws.com'),
  inlinePolicies: {
    'RotationPolicy': new iam.PolicyDocument({
      statements: [rotationPolicy],
    }),
  },
});

Step 4: Implement the access keys rotation logic

Create a Lambda function that will rotate the access keys for the IAM user. Here is an example code snippet:

import * as lambda from '@aws-cdk/aws-lambda';

const rotationFunction = new lambda.Function(this, 'RotationFunction', {
  runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_14_X,
  handler: 'index.handler',
  code: lambda.Code.fromAsset('lambda'),
  environment: {
    IAM_USER_NAME: 'your-iam-user-name',
  },
});

Step 5: Schedule the Lambda function for periodic execution

Use AWS CloudWatch Events to schedule the Lambda function for periodic execution. Here is an example code snippet:

import * as events from '@aws-cdk/aws-events';
import * as targets from '@aws-cdk/aws-events-targets';

const rule = new events.Rule(this, 'RotationRule', {
  schedule: events.Schedule.cron({ minute: '0', hour: '0' }),
});

rule.addTarget(new targets.LambdaFunction(rotationFunction));

Step 6: Deploy the CDK stack

Finally, deploy the CDK stack to AWS using the following command:

cdk deploy

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have learned how to set up IAM access keys rotation for improved security in AWS using AWS CDK with Typescript. By automating the process of access keys rotation, we can enhance the security of our AWS resources and reduce the risk of unauthorized access. Remember to regularly rotate your access keys to maintain a secure environment.

Key Learnings

  • IAM access keys rotation is essential for improving security in AWS.
  • AWS CDK with Typescript can be used to automate the process of access keys rotation.
  • Regularly rotating access keys helps reduce the risk of unauthorized access to AWS resources.
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