Alibaba Cloud
AWS
Google Cloud
Kubernetes
Microsoft AzureOverview
Unused service identities are unnecessary attack surface.
What this control checks
Service identities with no observed usage during the evaluation window.
Why this matters
Removing unused identities reduces privilege sprawl and risk.
Remediation guidance
Remediation strategy
- Confirm identity is unused with owners and logs.
- Disable or remove permissions first.
- Delete identity after validation window.
GCP
gcloud iam service-accounts disable <sa>@<project-id>.iam.gserviceaccount.com
Azure
az identity list --query "[].{name:name,resourceGroup:resourceGroup,principalId:principalId}" -o table
az role assignment list --assignee <principal-id> -o table
References
- https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/service-accounts-manage
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/managed-identities-azure-resources/manage-user-assigned-managed-identities-azure-cli
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.
Google Cloud
SERVICE-WIDE (RECOMMENDED when many resources are affected): Enforce Organization Policies at org/folder level so new resources inherit secure defaults.
gcloud org-policies set-policy policy.yaml
ASSET-LEVEL: Use the product-specific remediation steps above for only the impacted project/resources.
PREVENTIVE: Use org policy constraints/custom constraints and enforce checks in deployment pipelines.
Azure
SERVICE-WIDE (RECOMMENDED when many resources are affected): Assign Azure Policy initiatives at management group/subscription scope and trigger remediation tasks.
az policy assignment create --name <assignment-name> --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id> --policy-set-definition <initiative-id>
az policy remediation create --name <remediation-name> --policy-assignment <assignment-id>
ASSET-LEVEL: Apply the resource-specific remediation steps above to the listed non-compliant resources.
PREVENTIVE: Embed Azure Policy checks into landing zones and IaC workflows to block or auto-remediate drift.
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
- GCP Organization Policy overview: https://cloud.google.com/resource-manager/docs/organization-policy/overview
- GCP Organization policy constraints catalog: https://cloud.google.com/resource-manager/docs/organization-policy/org-policy-constraints
- gcloud org-policies: https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/org-policies
- Azure Policy overview: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/overview
- Azure Policy remediation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/how-to/remediate-resources
- Azure Policy initiative structure: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/concepts/initiative-definition-structure
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
- Google Cloud: apply organization policy constraints at org/folder scope.
gcloud org-policies set-policy policy.yaml
- Azure: assign policy initiatives at management group/subscription scope and run remediation tasks.
az policy assignment create --name <assignment-name> --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id> --policy-set-definition <initiative-id>
az policy remediation create --name <remediation-name> --policy-assignment <assignment-id>
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.
Unused AWS IAM Roles
Connectors
Covered asset types
Expected check: eq []
{
UnusedAWSIAMRoles {
...AssetFragment
}
}Unused Azure Managed Identities
Connectors
Covered asset types
Expected check: eq []
{
UnusedAzureManagedIdentities {
...AssetFragment
}
}Unused Google Cloud Service Accounts
Connectors
Covered asset types
Expected check: eq []
{
UnusedGoogleCloudIAMServiceAccounts {
...AssetFragment
}
}Unused Kubernetes Service Accounts
Connectors
Covered asset types
Expected check: eq []
{
UnusedK8sServiceAccounts {
...AssetFragment
}
}Unused Alibaba RAM Roles
Connectors
Covered asset types
Expected check: eq []
{
UnusedAlibabaIAMRoles {
...AssetFragment
}
}
