CloudWiki
Rules
Critical

ECS task with Admin access (*:*)

Security & Compliance
Description

In Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), a task with admin access refers to a task or container that has been granted administrative privileges within the ECS cluster. This means that the task or container has full access to the resources and services within the cluster, and can perform actions that may be unauthorized or malicious. Admin access should be granted only to trusted users or services that require it for their legitimate functions, and should be revoked as soon as it is no longer necessary to reduce the attack surface of the cluster.‍

Remediation

If you have identified an ECS task with admin access, the following remediation steps can be taken:

  1. Limit the use of admin access: Admin access should be granted only to trusted users or services that require it for their legitimate functions. All other users and services should be granted access only to the specific resources they require to perform their functions.
  2. Remove admin access: If the task or container no longer requires admin access, revoke the access immediately to reduce the attack surface of the cluster.
  3. Implement least privilege access: Use AWS IAM to create roles and policies that enforce the principle of least privilege. This ensures that each user or service has access only to the resources they require to perform their functions.
  4. Implement network segmentation: Use VPCs, subnets, and security groups to limit access to the ECS cluster from external networks. This prevents unauthorized access to the cluster from the internet or other networks.
  5. Implement monitoring and auditing: Use AWS CloudTrail and CloudWatch to monitor the activity of the ECS cluster and identify any unauthorized or suspicious activity. This allows you to detect and respond to security incidents in a timely manner.
  6. Implement security best practices: Follow AWS security best practices for securing ECS clusters, such as using secure AMIs, implementing encryption, and regularly patching and updating software.

By following these remediation steps, you can ensure that your ECS cluster is secure and compliant with best practices for container security, and reduce the risk of unauthorized access and malicious activity.

Enforced Resources
Note: Remediation steps provided by Lightlytics are meant to be suggestions and guidelines only. It is crucial to thoroughly verify and test any remediation steps before applying them to production environments. Each organization's infrastructure and security needs may differ, and blindly applying suggested remediation steps without proper testing could potentially cause unforeseen issues or vulnerabilities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you validate and customize any remediation steps to meet your organization's specific requirements and ensure that they align with your security policies and best practices.