Check ID:
Provider: AWS
Service:
Severity: HIGH
Categories:
Resource type:
secretsmanager_not_publicly_accessibleProvider: AWS
Service:
secretsmanagerSeverity: HIGH
Categories:
internet-exposed, secretsResource type:
AwsSecretsManagerSecretWhat this check verifies
AWS Secrets Manager secrets are evaluated for public exposure through resource-based policies that grant broad access, such asPrincipal: "*", which would allow any principal to perform actions on the secret.
Risk
Public access to a secret enables uncontrolled retrieval of secret values, compromising confidentiality. If broad actions are allowed, attackers can modify or delete the secret, impacting integrity and availability, and use exposed credentials for unauthorized data access and lateral movement.Recommendation
Apply least privilege to resource policies:- Remove wildcards and limit access to specific principals
- Add contextual conditions (e.g., VPC endpoints, source account/ARN)
- Enable safeguards that block public policies
- Prefer private access paths
- Periodically review related identity and KMS policies
Remediation
- CLI
- Terraform
- Native IaC
- Dashboard steps
References
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/secretsmanager/latest/userguide/auth-and-access_resource-policies.html
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/secretsmanager/latest/userguide/determine-acccess_examine-iam-policies.html
Where this check fires
This check runs on every scheduled scan against your AWS account. Findings appear at Cloud Security → Findings filterable byCheck ID = secretsmanager_not_publicly_accessible. 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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