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CreateLoginProfile

AWS

CreateLoginProfile

service: AWS - IAM
techniques:

Event

Creates a password for an IAM user, enabling them to sign into the AWS Management Console.

Security Context

  • Account manipulation is a primary persistence technique, allowing adversaries to maintain access through modified permissions or credentials.

Log Source

CloudTrail

Sample Event

Adversarial. Draco — having compromised a session that holds iam:CreateLoginProfile — adds a console password to a previously-programmatic-only IAM user (luna, the new-user persona). This converts a service-account-style identity into one that the adversary can sign in to via the console — useful for re-establishing access without a CLI fingerprint, and for blending in with normal user sessions.

{
"eventVersion": "1.09",
"userIdentity": {
"type": "IAMUser",
"principalId": "AIDADRAC0MALF0YBADGY",
"arn": "arn:aws:iam::555123456789:user/draco",
"accountId": "555123456789",
"accessKeyId": "AKIADRAC0MALF0YEXAMP5",
"userName": "draco",
"sessionContext": {
"attributes": {
"creationDate": "2026-04-15T18:51:02Z",
"mfaAuthenticated": "false"
}
}
},
"eventTime": "2026-04-15T23:33:25Z",
"eventSource": "iam.amazonaws.com",
"eventName": "CreateLoginProfile",
"awsRegion": "us-east-1",
"sourceIPAddress": "203.0.113.66",
"userAgent": "aws-cli/1.18.147 Python/3.7.10 Linux/5.4.0-1045-aws botocore/1.18.6",
"requestParameters": {
"userName": "luna",
"password": "HIDDEN_DUE_TO_SECURITY_REASONS",
"passwordResetRequired": false
},
"responseElements": {
"loginProfile": {
"userName": "luna",
"createDate": "Apr 15, 2026, 11:33:25 PM",
"passwordResetRequired": false
}
},
"requestID": "90000000-0000-4000-8000-000010010000",
"eventID": "90000000-0000-4000-8000-000010010001",
"readOnly": false,
"eventType": "AwsApiCall",
"managementEvent": true,
"recipientAccountId": "555123456789",
"eventCategory": "Management",
"tlsDetails": {
"tlsVersion": "TLSv1.3",
"cipherSuite": "TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256",
"clientProvidedHostHeader": "iam.amazonaws.com"
}
}

MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

Tactics: Persistence Privilege Escalation

Techniques:
  • T1098 — Account Manipulation — Adversaries may manipulate accounts to maintain and/or elevate access to victim systems. Account manipulation may consist of any action that preserves or modifies adversary access to a compromised account, such as modifying credentials or permission groups. These actions could also include accoun...