Check ID: iam_user_mfa_enabled_console_access
Provider: AWS
Service: iam
Severity: HIGH
Categories: identity-access
Resource type: AwsIamUser

What this check verifies

IAM users that have a console password are expected to have multi-factor authentication enabled. The evaluation identifies users who can sign in to the AWS Management Console but do not have an active MFA device associated.

Risk

Without MFA, a stolen or brute-forced password grants full interactive access. Attackers can: - Change policies or keys - Exfiltrate data - Create backdoor users - Disable logging. This enables account takeover, threatens confidentiality and integrity, and can disrupt availability.

Recommendation

Enforce MFA for all console-capable IAM users; prefer phishing-resistant authenticators (FIDO2/security keys) and register backups. Remove console passwords for users that don’t need them and favor federation/SSO. Apply least privilege and require MFA for sensitive actions to prevent unauthorized changes.

Remediation

aws iam delete-login-profile —user-name <IAM_USER_NAME>

References

Where this check fires

This check runs on every scheduled scan against your AWS account. Findings appear at Cloud Security → Findings filterable by Check ID = iam_user_mfa_enabled_console_access. To re-evaluate after a fix, hit Run now on the account’s schedule under Cloud Security → Schedules — the next scan re-checks this control and marks the finding fixed or keeps it persistent.
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