Check ID: kms_cmk_rotation_enabled
Provider: AWS
Service: kms
Severity: HIGH
Categories: encryption
Resource type: AwsKmsKey

What this check verifies

Customer-managed KMS symmetric keys in the Enabled state are evaluated to confirm automatic rotation of key material is configured

Risk

Without automatic rotation, long-lived key material increases confidentiality and integrity risk. If a KMS key is exposed, attackers can unwrap data keys and decrypt stored data until the key changes. It also reduces crypto agility and may conflict with mandated rotation policies.

Recommendation

Enable automatic rotation on customer-managed symmetric KMS keys and choose a rotation period that meets policy. Enforce least privilege and separation of duties for key administration versus usage. Monitor key lifecycle events and use on-demand rotation when compromise is suspected.

Remediation

aws kms enable-key-rotation —key-id <KEY_ID>

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 = kms_cmk_rotation_enabled. 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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