GCP - IAM, Principals & Org Unauthenticated Enum

👉 Overview

👀 What ?

GCP - IAM, Principals and Org Unauthenticated Enum is a method of enumerating or identifying data and resources within Google Cloud Platform (GCP) that have not been properly secured using Identity and Access Management (IAM) controls. Principals in this context refer to the entities that can have access permissions to certain resources - they can be users, service accounts, or groups. Org Unauthenticated Enum refers to the process of enumerating resources that are accessible without authentication at the organization level.

🧐 Why ?

Understanding this topic is crucial as it pertains to the security of resources on Google Cloud Platform. Incorrect or lax IAM controls can expose sensitive data and resources, leading to potential breaches. Enumeration is a common pre-attack phase, where attackers identify potential targets and their vulnerabilities. Therefore, understanding this subject can help in securing your GCP resources and prevent unauthorized access or data leakage.

⛏️ How ?

To use this method to your advantage, you should first understand how IAM works in GCP. You should regularly review and update the IAM policies applied to your resources, ensuring that only necessary permissions are granted. Use tools such as Google's IAM Recommender to identify overly permissive access. Regularly audit your GCP environment for any unauthenticated publicly accessible resources. Google's Cloud Security Command Center and Cloud Audit Logs can be helpful in this regard.

⏳ When ?

The practice of enumerating unauthenticated resources in GCP became more widespread as more businesses moved their operations to the cloud. This practice became particularly prevalent with the increase in cloud-related security incidents.

⚙️ Technical Explanations

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) provides Identity and Access Management (IAM) to control who (principals) has what access (roles) to which resources. A principal can be a user, a service account, or a member of a Google group or G Suite domain. Roles are collections of permissions, and permissions determine what operations are allowed on a resource. In the context of unauthenticated enumeration, if a resource is not properly secured with correct IAM policies, it can be accessed without any authentication. This is a severe security risk as it can expose sensitive data or allow unauthorized modification of resources.