Overview
Overview
+Root account security questions support account recovery and identity verification workflows. They should be configured and periodically reviewed by authorized account owners.
Remediation guidance
AWS remediation
+### Console +1. Sign in as the AWS account root user. +2. Open My Security Credentials. +3. In Account settings, configure security challenge questions. +4. Store answers in an approved secrets management process. +5. Review after ownership/team changes. + +### Notes +- There is no equivalent AWS CLI command for setting security challenge questions. +- This action is root-account and console-driven. + +### References +- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_root-user.html +- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_root-user_manage.html
Multiple Remediation Paths
AWS
SERVICE-WIDE (RECOMMENDED when many resources are affected): Deploy centralized guardrails and remediation using AWS Config Conformance Packs and (if applicable) AWS Organizations SCPs.
aws configservice put-organization-conformance-pack --organization-conformance-pack-name <pack-name> --template-s3-uri s3://<bucket>/<template>.yaml
ASSET-LEVEL: Apply the resource-specific remediation steps above to only the affected assets.
PREVENTIVE: Add CI/CD policy checks (CloudFormation/Terraform validation) before deployment to prevent recurrence.
References for Service-Wide Patterns
- AWS Config Conformance Packs: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/config/latest/developerguide/conformance-packs.html
- AWS Organizations SCP examples: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/organizations/latest/userguide/orgs_manage_policies_scps_examples.html
Operational Rollout Workflow
Use this sequence to reduce risk and avoid repeated drift.
1. Contain at Service-Wide Scope First (Recommended)
- AWS: deploy/adjust organization conformance packs and policy guardrails.
aws configservice put-organization-conformance-pack --organization-conformance-pack-name <pack-name> --template-s3-uri s3://<bucket>/<template>.yaml
2. Remediate Existing Affected Assets
- Execute the control-specific Console/CLI steps documented above for each flagged resource.
- Prioritize internet-exposed and production assets first.
3. Validate and Prevent Recurrence
- Re-scan after each remediation batch.
- Track exceptions with owner and expiry date.
- Add preventive checks in IaC/CI pipelines.
Query logic
These are the stored checks tied to this control.
No stored query bodies are attached to this entry.