AWS Key Management Service controls - AWS Security Hub
[KMS.1] IAM customer managed policies should not allow decryption actions on all KMS keys[KMS.2] IAM principals should not have IAM inline policies that allow decryption actions on all KMS keys[KMS.3] AWS KMS keys should not be deleted unintentionally[KMS.4] AWS KMS key rotation should be enabled

AWS Key Management Service controls

These controls are related to AWS KMS resources.

These controls may not be available in all AWS Regions. For more information, see Availability of controls by Region.

[KMS.1] IAM customer managed policies should not allow decryption actions on all KMS keys

Related requirements: NIST.800-53.r5 AC-2, NIST.800-53.r5 AC-2(1), NIST.800-53.r5 AC-3, NIST.800-53.r5 AC-3(15), NIST.800-53.r5 AC-3(7), NIST.800-53.r5 AC-5, NIST.800-53.r5 AC-6, NIST.800-53.r5 AC-6(3)

Category: Protect > Secure access management

Severity: Medium

Resource type: AWS::IAM::Policy

AWS Config rule: iam-customer-policy-blocked-kms-actions

Schedule type: Change triggered

Parameters:

  • blockedActionsPatterns: kms:ReEncryptFrom, kms:Decrypt (not customizable)

  • excludePermissionBoundaryPolicy: True (not customizable)

Checks whether the default version of IAM customer managed policies allow principals to use the AWS KMS decryption actions on all resources. The control fails if the policy is open enough to allow kms:Decrypt or kms:ReEncryptFrom actions on all KMS keys.

The control only checks KMS keys in the Resource element and doesn't take into account any conditionals in the Condition element of a policy. In addition, the control evaluates both attached and unattached customer managed policies. It doesn't check inline policies or AWS managed policies.

With AWS KMS, you control who can use your KMS keys and gain access to your encrypted data. IAM policies define which actions an identity (user, group, or role) can perform on which resources. Following security best practices, AWS recommends that you allow least privilege. In other words, you should grant to identities only the kms:Decrypt or kms:ReEncryptFrom permissions and only for the keys that are required to perform a task. Otherwise, the user might use keys that are not appropriate for your data.

Instead of granting permissions for all keys, determine the minimum set of keys that users need to access encrypted data. Then design policies that allow users to use only those keys. For example, do not allow kms:Decrypt permission on all KMS keys. Instead, allow kms:Decrypt only on keys in a particular Region for your account. By adopting the principle of least privilege, you can reduce the risk of unintended disclosure of your data.

Remediation

To modify an IAM customer managed policy, see Editing customer managed policies in the IAM User Guide. When editing your policy, for the Resource field, provide the Amazon Resource Name (ARN) of the specific key or keys that you want to allow decryption actions on.

[KMS.2] IAM principals should not have IAM inline policies that allow decryption actions on all KMS keys

Related requirements: NIST.800-53.r5 AC-2, NIST.800-53.r5 AC-2(1), NIST.800-53.r5 AC-3, NIST.800-53.r5 AC-3(15), NIST.800-53.r5 AC-3(7), NIST.800-53.r5 AC-5, NIST.800-53.r5 AC-6, NIST.800-53.r5 AC-6(3)

Category: Protect > Secure access management

Severity: Medium

Resource type:

  • AWS::IAM::Group

  • AWS::IAM::Role

  • AWS::IAM::User

AWS Config rule: iam-inline-policy-blocked-kms-actions

Schedule type: Change triggered

Parameters:

  • blockedActionsPatterns: kms:ReEncryptFrom, kms:Decrypt (not customizable)

This control checks whether the inline policies that are embedded in your IAM identities (role, user, or group) allow the AWS KMS decryption and re-encryption actions on all KMS keys. The control fails if the policy is open enough to allow kms:Decrypt or kms:ReEncryptFrom actions on all KMS keys.

The control only checks KMS keys in the Resource element and doesn't take into account any conditionals in the Condition element of a policy.

With AWS KMS, you control who can use your KMS keys and gain access to your encrypted data. IAM policies define which actions an identity (user, group, or role) can perform on which resources. Following security best practices, AWS recommends that you allow least privilege. In other words, you should grant to identities only the permissions they need and only for keys that are required to perform a task. Otherwise, the user might use keys that are not appropriate for your data.

Instead of granting permission for all keys, determine the minimum set of keys that users need to access encrypted data. Then design policies that allow the users to use only those keys. For example, do not allow kms:Decrypt permission on all KMS keys. Instead, allow the permission only on specific keys in a specific Region for your account. By adopting the principle of least privilege, you can reduce the risk of unintended disclosure of your data.

Remediation

To modify an IAM inline policy, see Editing inline policies in the IAM User Guide. When editing your policy, for the Resource field, provide the Amazon Resource Name (ARN) of the specific key or keys that you want to allow decryption actions on.

[KMS.3] AWS KMS keys should not be deleted unintentionally

Related requirements: NIST.800-53.r5 SC-12, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-12(2)

Category: Protect > Data protection > Data deletion protection

Severity: Critical

Resource type: AWS::KMS::Key

AWS Config rule: kms-cmk-not-scheduled-for-deletion-2 (custom Security Hub rule)

Schedule type: Change triggered

Parameters: None

This control checks whether KMS keys are scheduled for deletion. The control fails if a KMS key is scheduled for deletion.

KMS keys cannot be recovered once deleted. Data encrypted under a KMS key is also permanently unrecoverable if the KMS key is deleted. If meaningful data has been encrypted under a KMS key scheduled for deletion, consider decrypting the data or re-encrypting the data under a new KMS key unless you are intentionally performing a cryptographic erasure.

When a KMS key is scheduled for deletion, a mandatory waiting period is enforced to allow time to reverse the deletion, if it was scheduled in error. The default waiting period is 30 days, but it can be reduced to as short as 7 days when the KMS key is scheduled for deletion. During the waiting period, the scheduled deletion can be canceled and the KMS key will not be deleted.

For additional information regarding deleting KMS keys, see Deleting KMS keys in the AWS Key Management Service Developer Guide.

Remediation

To cancel a scheduled KMS key deletion, see To cancel key deletion under Scheduling and canceling key deletion (console) in the AWS Key Management Service Developer Guide.

[KMS.4] AWS KMS key rotation should be enabled

Related requirements: PCI DSS v3.2.1/3.6.4, CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark v1.2.0/2.8, CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark v1.4.0/3.8, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-12, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-12(2), NIST.800-53.r5 SC-28(3)

Severity: Medium

Resource type: AWS::KMS::Key

AWS Config rule: cmk-backing-key-rotation-enabled

Schedule type: Periodic

Parameters: None

AWS KMS enables customers to rotate the backing key, which is key material stored in AWS KMS and is tied to the key ID of the KMS key. It's the backing key that is used to perform cryptographic operations such as encryption and decryption. Automated key rotation currently retains all previous backing keys so that decryption of encrypted data can take place transparently.

CIS recommends that you enable KMS key rotation. Rotating encryption keys helps reduce the potential impact of a compromised key because data encrypted with a new key can't be accessed with a previous key that might have been exposed.

Remediation

To enable KMS key rotation, see How to enable and disable automatic key rotation in the AWS Key Management Service Developer Guide.