A compromised AWS console is a full-blown incident. You’re looking at data exfiltration, service disruption, and massive reputational damage. And it almost always starts with a stolen credential.
This isn’t rocket science, folks. Multi-Factor Authentication for your IAM users, especially those with console access, is non-negotiable. It’s the most basic, yet most effective, barrier against credential compromise. If you’re not doing this, you’re leaving the door wide open.
Go to IAM > Users > Security credentials > Assigned MFA device. If it’s not enabled, enable it. Then, implement a global policy requiring MFA for all console access. This simple step prevents an attacker with a stolen password from ever reaching your environment.
Don’t wait for the breach. Lock this down today.
The fix
# List users without MFA\naws iam generate-credential-report\naws iam get-credential-report --output text --query 'Content' | base64 -d | \\\n awk -F, '$4 == \"true\" && $8 == \"false\" { print\
Reference: CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark 1.10