AWS User API Key Created

Severity: medium
Group by: userIdentity.arn
Compliance: Stratus Red Team aws.persistence.iam-backdoor-user, aws.persistence.iam-create-admin-user
Log types: AWS.CloudTrail
Reference: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_access-keys.html
Source: github.com/panther-labs/panther-analysis

Detects AWS API key creation for a user by another user. Backdoored users can be used to obtain persistence in the AWS environment.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Persistence	`T1098` Account Manipulation, `T1108` Redundant Access
Stealth	`T1108` Redundant Access
Lateral Movement	`T1550` Use Alternate Authentication Material

Rules detecting the same action

Other rules on this platform that filter on the same API call or operation.

AWS IAM Backdoor Users Keys (Sigma)
AWS IAM S3Browser User or AccessKey Creation (Sigma)
AWS IAM Sensitive Operations via Lambda Execution Role (Elastic)
AWS IAM User Created Access Keys For Another User (Elastic)
AWS Sensitive IAM Operations Performed via CloudShell (Elastic)
High-Risk Cross-Cloud User Impersonation (Kusto)
IAM Access Key Created (Sigma)
IAM Access Key Creation Attempt (Sigma)

Rule body yaml

AnalysisType: rule
Description: Detects AWS API key creation for a user by another user. Backdoored users can be used to obtain persistence in the AWS environment.
DisplayName: "AWS User API Key Created"
Enabled: true
Filename: aws_iam_user_key_created.py
Reports:
  MITRE ATT&CK:
    - TA0003:T1098
    - TA0005:T1108
    - TA0005:T1550
    - TA0008:T1550

  Stratus Red Team:
    - aws.persistence.iam-backdoor-user
    - aws.persistence.iam-create-admin-user
Reference: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_access-keys.html
Severity: Medium
Tests:
  - ExpectedResult: false
    Log:
      awsRegion: us-east-1
      eventCategory: Management
      eventID: "12345"
      eventName: CreateAccessKey
      eventSource: iam.amazonaws.com
      eventTime: "2022-09-27 17:09:18"
      eventType: AwsApiCall
      eventVersion: "1.08"
      managementEvent: true
      readOnly: false
      recipientAccountId: "123456789"
      requestParameters:
        userName: user1
      responseElements:
        accessKey:
          accessKeyId: ABCDEFG
          createDate: Sep 27, 2022 5:09:18 PM
          status: Active
          userName: user1
      sourceIPAddress: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
      userAgent: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
      userIdentity:
        accessKeyId: ABCDEFGH
        accountId: "123456789"
        arn: arn:aws:iam::123456789:user/user1
        invokedBy: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
        principalId: ABCDEFGH
        sessionContext:
          attributes:
            creationDate: "2022-09-27T17:08:35Z"
            mfaAuthenticated: "false"
          sessionIssuer: {}
          webIdFederationData: {}
        type: IAMUser
        userName: user1
    Name: user1 create keys for user1
  - ExpectedResult: true
    Log:
      awsRegion: us-east-1
      eventCategory: Management
      eventID: "12345"
      eventName: CreateAccessKey
      eventSource: iam.amazonaws.com
      eventTime: "2022-09-27 17:09:18"
      eventType: AwsApiCall
      eventVersion: "1.08"
      managementEvent: true
      readOnly: false
      recipientAccountId: "123456789"
      requestParameters:
        userName: user2
      responseElements:
        accessKey:
          accessKeyId: ABCDEFG
          createDate: Sep 27, 2022 5:09:18 PM
          status: Active
          userName: user2
      sourceIPAddress: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
      userAgent: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
      userIdentity:
        accessKeyId: ABCDEFGH
        accountId: "123456789"
        arn: arn:aws:iam::123456789:user/user1
        invokedBy: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
        principalId: ABCDEFGH
        sessionContext:
          attributes:
            creationDate: "2022-09-27T17:08:35Z"
            mfaAuthenticated: "false"
          sessionIssuer: {}
          webIdFederationData: {}
        type: IAMUser
        userName: user1
    Name: user1 create keys for user2
  - ExpectedResult: true
    Log:
      awsRegion: us-east-1
      eventCategory: Management
      eventID: "12345"
      eventName: CreateAccessKey
      eventSource: iam.amazonaws.com
      eventTime: "2022-09-27 17:09:18"
      eventType: AwsApiCall
      eventVersion: "1.08"
      managementEvent: true
      readOnly: false
      recipientAccountId: "123456789"
      requestParameters:
        userName: jack
      responseElements:
        accessKey:
          accessKeyId: ABCDEFG
          createDate: Sep 27, 2022 5:09:18 PM
          status: Active
          userName: jack
      sourceIPAddress: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
      userAgent: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
      userIdentity:
        accessKeyId: ABCDEFGH
        accountId: "123456789"
        arn: arn:aws:iam::123456789:user/jackson
        invokedBy: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
        principalId: ABCDEFGH
        sessionContext:
          attributes:
            creationDate: "2022-09-27T17:08:35Z"
            mfaAuthenticated: "false"
          sessionIssuer: {}
          webIdFederationData: {}
        type: IAMUser
        userName: user1
    Name: jackson create keys for jack
  - ExpectedResult: true
    Log:
      awsRegion: us-east-1
      eventCategory: Management
      eventID: "12345"
      eventName: CreateAccessKey
      eventSource: iam.amazonaws.com
      eventTime: "2022-09-27 17:09:18"
      eventType: AwsApiCall
      eventVersion: "1.08"
      managementEvent: true
      readOnly: false
      recipientAccountId: "123456789"
      requestParameters:
        userName: jackson
      responseElements:
        accessKey:
          accessKeyId: ABCDEFG
          createDate: Sep 27, 2022 5:09:18 PM
          status: Active
          userName: jackson
      sourceIPAddress: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
      userAgent: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
      userIdentity:
        accessKeyId: ABCDEFGH
        accountId: "123456789"
        arn: arn:aws:iam::123456789:user/jack
        invokedBy: cloudformation.amazonaws.com
        principalId: ABCDEFGH
        sessionContext:
          attributes:
            creationDate: "2022-09-27T17:08:35Z"
            mfaAuthenticated: "false"
          sessionIssuer: {}
          webIdFederationData: {}
        type: IAMUser
        userName: user1
    Name: jack create keys for jackson
  - ExpectedResult: false
    Name: CreateKey returns error code
    Log:
      {
        "awsRegion": "us-east-1",
        "errorCode": "LimitExceededException",
        "errorMessage": "Cannot exceed quota for AccessKeysPerUser: 2",
        "eventCategory": "Management",
        "eventID": "efffffff-bbbb-4444-bbbb-ffffffffffff",
        "eventName": "CreateAccessKey",
        "eventSource": "iam.amazonaws.com",
        "eventTime": "2023-01-03 01:52:07.000000000",
        "eventType": "AwsApiCall",
        "eventVersion": "1.08",
        "managementEvent": true,
        "readOnly": false,
        "recipientAccountId": "123456789012",
        "requestID": "84eeeeee-eeee-eeee-eeee-eeeeeeeeeeee",
        "sourceIPAddress": "12.12.12.12",
        "tlsDetails":
          {
            "cipherSuite": "ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256",
            "clientProvidedHostHeader": "iam.amazonaws.com",
            "tlsVersion": "TLSv1.2",
          },
        "userAgent": "aws-sdk-go-v2/1.14.0 os/macos lang/go/1.17.6 md/GOOS/darwin md/GOARCH/arm64 api/iam/1.17.0",
        "userIdentity":
          {
            "accessKeyId": "ASIA5ZXAKGI33TI7QQGW",
            "accountId": "123456789012",
            "arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/some_iam_user",
            "principalId": "AIDA55555555555555555",
            "sessionContext":
              {
                "attributes":
                  {
                    "creationDate": "2023-01-03T01:52:07Z",
                    "mfaAuthenticated": "true",
                  },
                "sessionIssuer": {},
                "webIdFederationData": {},
              },
            "type": "IAMUser",
            "userName": "some_iam_user",
          },
      }

DedupPeriodMinutes: 60
LogTypes:
  - AWS.CloudTrail
RuleID: "AWS.IAM.Backdoor.User.Keys"
Threshold: 1

Detection logic

Condition

not (errorCode is_not_null or errorMessage is_not_null)
eventSource eq "iam.amazonaws.com"
eventName eq "CreateAccessKey"

This rule also runs imperative logic the parser cannot express as a filter; the conditions above are the structured part it could extract.

Exclusions

Top-level NOT(...) conjuncts: predicates this rule actively suppresses.

Field	Kind	Excluded values
`errorCode`	is_not_null	(no value, null check)
`errorMessage`	is_not_null	(no value, null check)

Indicators

Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.

Field	Kind	Values
`eventName`	eq	`CreateAccessKey`
`eventSource`	eq	`iam.amazonaws.com`

Output fields

Fields the rule emits when it matches. Chronicle authors list these in the outcome block; they appear on the detection and $risk_score drives alerting. Sentinel / Defender XDR rules build them up through project / summarize / extend stages. Sentinel maps these into alert fields via entityMappings and customDetails; Defender XDR custom detections surface them as alert fields directly.

Field	Source
`eventName`
`eventSource`
`awsRegion`
`recipientAccountId`
`sourceIPAddress`
`userAgent`
`userIdentity`
`arn`	`userIdentity.arn`
`userName`	`responseElements.accessKey.userName`

`j` / `k`	Scroll down / up
`d` / `u`	Half-page down / up
`gg` / `G`	Top / bottom
`h` / `l`	History back / forward
`f`	Follow link (`Shift` = new tab)
`/`	Focus search
`?`	Toggle this help
`↑` / `↓`	Navigate search results
`Enter`	Open highlighted result
`Esc`	Close results / dialog

`type:`	`events` / `rules` / `providers`
`vendor:`	`sigma` / `elastic` / `splunk` / `kusto` / `chronicle` (vendor name alone also works: `sigma:`, `kql:`, `secops:`…)
`tactic:`	TA-id, slug, or name: `credential_access`, `TA0006`
`technique:`	technique or sub-technique ID: `T1003`, `T1003.001` (alias `tech:`)
`severity:`	`critical` / `high` / `medium` / `low` / `informational` (alias `sev:`)
`risk_score`	Numeric comparison on the Elastic risk score (0 to 100): `risk_score>50`, `risk_score<=20`, `risk_score=99` (alias `risk`; Elastic rules only)
`stages:`	Rules with exactly N pipeline stages
`correlation:`	`single_event` / `sequence` / `alternatives` / `alternatives_cross_log` / `all_required` / `correlated`
`with:`	Co-occurrence event-id; stacks (`with:4624 with:4769`) to require all, while a comma list in one occurrence (`with:4624,4769`) is an either-or group. Implies multi-event
`like:`	Structural neighbors of a rule slug (equivalents + subsumption stricter / broader): `like:comsvcs_lsass_memory_dump-splunk-sysmon`
`groupby:`	Entity-grouping substring match against `group_by_keys`: `groupby:user`, `groupby:host`
`uses:`	Rules whose predicate tree touches the field (any kind, any value): `uses:CommandLine`
`excludes:`	Rules with top-level `not()` clauses on the field (FP whitelists): `excludes:ParentImage`
`field:` / `value:`	Predicate search; narrows rule cards to those with a matching leaf and drives the indicator tier. Unquoted = substring, wildcards allowed (`value:mimikatz`)
`indicator:`	Shorthand for `field:F value:V`: `indicator:Image=*\powershell.exe`
`kind:`	Filter by predicate kind. Narrows rule cards to those carrying a matching predicate leaf (`vendor:elastic kind:cidr_match`) and drives the indicator tier: `contains` / `starts_with` / `ends_with` / `regex` / `cidr` / `eq` / `in` … (operator aliases `op:`/`match:`)
`has:` / `no:`	`sample`, `field`, `notes`, `refs`, `trace`, `thirdparty`, `rule`, `pattern`, `timewindow`, `threshold`, `newterms`, `sigma`/`elastic`/`splunk`/`kusto`/`chronicle`
`-op:val`	Exclude matches; works on most operators but not `type:`/`like:`/`has:`/`no:` (use `no:<flag>` to exclude a rule flag): `tactic:execution -vendor:splunk`. Standalone `-kind:`/`-field:`/`-value:` drop every rule carrying a matching predicate leaf (`type:rules -kind:is_null`)
`field:"…"` / `value:"…"`	Quoted value = anchored exact match (also allows spaces): `value:"net user"`
`a,b`	Comma = OR inside one operator (`vendor:sigma,elastic`, `severity:high,critical`); repeating a facet merges the same way. `field:`/`value:` never split (literal commas)
`vendors:` / `stage:`	Singular and plural spellings fold to the canonical operator and value: `tactics:` = `tactic:`, `type:event` = `type:events`, `correlation:sequences` = `correlation:sequence`, `has:thresholds` = `has:threshold`
`"quoted phrase"`	Exact-match a multi-word phrase (free text)