AWS CloudTrail UpdateLoginProfile: Password/Authentication Profile Modified for Another User

Flags AWS IAM UpdateLoginProfile events where an account updates another user’s login profile password.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v5

Product: aws
Service: cloudtrail
Author: toffeebr33k (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2021-08-09
Updated: 2026-07-31

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Priv Esc

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
- T1098Account Manipulation
Priv Esc
- T1098Account Manipulation
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule flags AWS IAM Login Profile changes where the login profile is updated for a user other than the authenticated principal. Such activity matters because an attacker with iam:UpdateLoginProfile permissions on other users can change the password used to access the AWS console accounts that already have login profiles. The detection relies on CloudTrail events for iam.amazonaws.com with eventName UpdateLoginProfile and compares the target userName in request parameters against the calling principal identity.

Reporting behind it

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AWS CloudTrail UpdateLoginProfile: Password/Authentication Profile Modified for Another User

Pivot detection · T1098 · 9 related

Changelog

v5
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v4
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v3
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v2
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v1
No changelog recorded for this version.2026-07-30

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

aws-cloudtrail-updateloginprofile-password-changes-for-other-users-055fb148

title: "AWS CloudTrail UpdateLoginProfile: Password/Authentication Profile Modified for Another User"
id: 932bcf69-9af1-43be-bf2b-04d405fd0e1e
status: test
description: This rule flags AWS IAM Login Profile changes where the login profile is updated for a user other than the authenticated principal. Such activity matters because an attacker with iam:UpdateLoginProfile permissions on other users can change the password used to access the AWS console accounts that already have login profiles. The detection relies on CloudTrail events for iam.amazonaws.com with eventName UpdateLoginProfile and compares the target userName in request parameters against the calling principal identity.
references:
  - https://github.com/RhinoSecurityLabs/AWS-IAM-Privilege-Escalation
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/cloud/aws/cloudtrail/aws_update_login_profile.yml
author: toffeebr33k, Huntrule Team
date: 2021-08-09
modified: 2024-04-26
tags:
  - attack.persistence
  - attack.privilege-escalation
  - attack.t1098
logsource:
  product: aws
  service: cloudtrail
detection:
  selection:
    eventSource: iam.amazonaws.com
    eventName: UpdateLoginProfile
  filter_main_user_identity:
    userIdentity.arn|fieldref: requestParameters.userName
  condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_*
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate user account administration
level: high
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 055fb148-60f8-462d-ad16-26926ce050f1
    type: derived

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