Google CloudOverview
User-managed service accounts should not have user-managed keys.
Anyone who has access to the keys will be able to access resources through the service account. GCP-managed keys are used by Cloud services such as App Engine and Compute Engine. These keys cannot be downloaded. Google will keep the keys and automatically rotate them on an approximately weekly basis. User-managed keys are created, downloadable, and managed by users. They expire 10 years from creation.
For user-managed keys, the user has to take ownership of key management activities which include:
- Key storage
- Key distribution
- Key revocation
- Key rotation
- Protecting the keys from unauthorized users
- Key recovery
Even with key owner precautions, keys can be easily leaked by common development malpractices like checking keys into the source code or leaving them in the Downloads directory, or accidentally leaving them on support blogs/channels.
It is recommended to prevent user-managed service account keys.
Remediation guidance
From Console
- Login to IAM page in the GCP Console using https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/iam
- In the left navigation pane, click
Service accounts. All service accounts and their corresponding keys are listed. - Click the service account.
- Click the
editand delete the keys.
From Command Line
To delete a user managed Service Account Key,
gcloud iam service-accounts keys delete --iam-account=<user-managed-serviceaccount-EMAIL>
Prevention
You can disable service account key creation through the Disable service account key creation Organization policy by visiting https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/orgpolicies/iam-disableServiceAccountKeyCreation. Learn more at: https://cloud.google.com/resource-manager/docs/organization-policy/restricting-service-accounts. In addition, if you do not need to have service accounts in your project, you can also prevent the creation of service accounts through the Disable service account creation Organization policy: https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/orgpolicies/iam-disableServiceAccountCreation.
Default Value
By default, there are no user-managed keys created for user-managed service accounts.
Service-wide remediation
Recommended when many resources are affected: fix the platform baseline first so new resources inherit the secure setting, then remediate the existing flagged resources in batches.
Google Cloud
Use organization or folder policies where available, shared project templates, logs and alerting baselines, and IaC modules so new resources inherit the secure setting.
Operational rollout
- Fix the baseline first at the account, subscription, project, cluster, or tenant scope that owns this control.
- Remediate the currently affected resources in batches, starting with internet-exposed and production assets.
- Re-scan and track approved exceptions with an owner and expiry date.
Query logic
These are the stored checks tied to this control.
There are only GCP-managed service account keys for each service account
Connectors
Covered asset types
Expected check: eq []
{iamServiceAccounts(where:{hasIAMServiceAccountKeys_SOME:{keyType: "USER_MANAGED"}}){...AssetFragment}}
