AWS IAM - User Guide

Identity and access management (IAM) provides fine-grained access control across all of AWS. Integrating with AWS IAM will allow Scytale to collect users' access information and their access privileges on AWS. This will help to ensure that only authorized users have access to AWS, which is one of the key criteria when testing logical access. Manually collecting this type of evidence can take some time, especially when you need to prove to the auditors that the user listings are complete and accurate.

Automating the collection of user listings and access privileges will streamline the audit's sampling process and provide more assurance over the accuracy and completeness of the evidence collected. By using this integration, human intervention is eliminated, which gives more assurance to the auditors that the evidence can be relied on.

Permissions: 

All the permissions that are required for the integration with AWS IAM are read-only permissions and do not allow Scytale to perform any actions within your AWS account.

You can assign permissions by creating a customer managed policy, which allows you to include the following permissions:

• iam:GetAccountPasswordPolicy
• iam:ListUsers
• iam:ListMFADevices
• iam:GetLoginProfile
• iam:ListGroups
• iam:GetGroup
• iam: GenerateCredentialReport
• iam:GetCredentialReport

Alternatively, you can add an AWS managed policy, which might include more permissions than we requested:

• IAMReadOnlyAccess

How to connect AWS IAM integration?

• Click on the "Integrations" menu screen to the left
• Click on the "Connect" button under the AWS IAM icon

There are two methods to connect to AWS IAM:

💡The first method is recommended and as default, it will show up in the connection,
but if you prefer the second method, you can switch between them by clicking on the switch button. 

1. Connect with IAM role - the main actions in AWS IAM:
   Create a policy with permissions for the integration, and then create the assumed role. 
2. Connect with Access keys - the main actions in AWS IAM:
   Create a policy with permissions for the integration, and then create a user assigned to it. At the end of creating the user, you provide the access key and secret key.

💡In the connection screen, you can change the connection method by clicking on the switch button. 

• Connection Name (relevant for both methods) - is used to differentiate between your connections. For instance, if you manage multiple AWS accounts or would like to connect multiple times to the integration. It's automatically titled (Connection 1,2,3 etc), but you can change it to a custom name to make it easier to identify.
  For example: scytale-production-env.

The First Method: Connect with IAM Role

Step 1: Create a policy in AWS IAM Console

• Go to the AWS Console

• In the top search, write IAM and select it in services

• On the left sidebar, go to Access Management and select Policies

• In the right corner, click on Create Policy

• In the Create Policy screen follow the instructions:
  • Service - select IAM
  • Actions - enable the following permissions:
    • GetAccountPasswordPolicy
    • ListUsers
    • ListMFADevices
    • GetLoginProfile
    • ListGroups
    • GetGroup
    • GenerateCredentialReport
    • GetCredentialReport

• • Resources - select the "All resources" option.
  • Request conditions - Leave as is

• Tags do not need to be added, click on the Next: Review button. 

• On the Review policy page please fill in the following fields:

  • Name the policy: for example - scytale-iam

  • Description: you can write your description

  • Click on "Create policy"

Step 2: Create an IAM role 

• On the left menu in the IAM service,  select Roles.

• In the top right corner, click on create role.
• In the trusted entity type - select AWS account. 
• Then, enable "Another AWS account"
  • The Account ID should be copied from the connection in Scytale.
• Under options, enable "Require external ID (Best practice when a third party will assume this role)"
  • The External ID should be copied from the connection in Scytale.
• Please don't enable the require MFA.
• Click on "Next"
  
  

• In the Add permissions step, find the policy you created in the previous step.
• Enable this policy. 
• Click on "Next"
• Then, add the role name and review the policy and role details. 
• Click on "Create role" if all the details are correct. 
  
  

• On the left sidebar, go to Access Management and select Policies

• In the right corner, click on Create Policy

• On the Review policy page please fill in the following fields:

  • Name the policy: scytale-aws-iam

  • Description: you can write your description

  • Click on "Create policy"

Step 2: Create a user and generate an Access key

• On the left sidebar, go to Access Management and select Users

• In the top right corner, click on Add users

• In the user name field, please enter the following: scytale-iam

• For the "Select AWS credential type" option - tick the "Access key - Programmatic access" box

• Click on Next

• In the Set permissions screen, select the option: Attach existing policies directly

• Search and select the policy that you created - scytale-aws-iam

• Click on Next

• Copy the Access key ID and the Secret access key