Enabling a Virtual MFA Device for the Root UserĪfter logging in with your root user, click on the top right of your user and select Security Credentials for being redirected to the security dashboard of your account. Setting up an MFA method at AWS is simple and only takes a few minutes. The most commonly used type is the virtual MFA via an authentication app. This method is discouraged by AWS and many other services as it has potential security vulnerabilities, including a high risk for spoofing and fishing as well as SIM swapping. SMS-delivered MFA codes - A one-time code that is sent to your mobile phone via SMS. YubiKey or RSA security tokens are well-known and widely used MFA hardware devices. Hardware MFA devices - A physical device that also generates a TOTP that's just valid for a specific time frame. Popular are the Google or Microsoft Authenticator or Authy. Virtual MFA devices - A virtual device, often a smartphone app, that's used to generate a time-based one-time password (TOTP). Supported Typesĭifferent MFA types can be used with AWS. And it comes for free and with low effort. MFA is one major security layer to prevent account compromise. Your AWS is one of your most significant responsibilities as a compromised account can ruin your financial future in a short time frame. Importance of MFA at AWSĪs said in the introduction, with great power comes great responsibility. a device (virtual or hardware-based) that issues a one-time passwordĮven if one gets compromised, it won't be enough to access the corresponding service in your name. Multi-Factor Authentication (or short MFA) adds another layer of security to any authentication mechanism.

We'll go through the definition of MFA, why it's important to enable it, and which MFA types are currently supported by AWS What Is Multi-Factor Authentication Enabling multi-factor authentication is one crucial step (creating organizations a second 😉) Introductionīefore we stumble into practice, let's go through the fundamentals of MFA.

That's why protecting your account and each IAM user is important. This power comes with the risk of potential misuse. You can provision almost endless computing resources that exceed small data centers. An AWS account comes with unlimited possibilities.

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