AWS Secrets Manager Rapid Secrets Retrieval
Identifies rapid secret retrieval activity from AWS Secrets Manager using the GetSecretValue or BatchGetSecretValue API actions. Adversaries who compromise an IAM user, instance role, or temporary credentials may…
Description
Identifies rapid secret retrieval activity from AWS Secrets Manager using the GetSecretValue or BatchGetSecretValue API actions. Adversaries who compromise an IAM user, instance role, or temporary credentials may attempt to enumerate or exfiltrate secrets in bulk to escalate privileges, move laterally, or gain persistence. This rule detects 20 or more unique secret retrievals by the same user identity within a short time window, which may indicate credential compromise or automated secret harvesting.
Detection logic
Its licence does not clear it for publishing here
Sunturai publishes a detection's own text where the licence it arrived under has been reviewed and permits it, and Elastic License 2.0 has not. The query as its source wrote it, its canonical form and the hash that pins this revision are in the workspace record.
Detection requirements
- Platform
- IaaSLinuxmacOSOffice SuiteSaaSWindows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 2 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.
- Log source category
- event_index
Known benign triggers
- Verify whether the user identity, user agent, and/or hostname should be using GetSecretValue or BatchGetSecretValue APIs for the specified SecretId. If known behavior is causing false positives, it can be exempted from the rule.
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
0 exclusive techniques.This is coverage no other published rule has; it is not this rule's total technique count.
References
| Reference | Cited by |
|---|---|
| cloud.hacktricks.xyz/pentesting-cloud/aws-security/aws-services/aws-secrets-manager-enum | 2 |
| detectioninthe.cloud/ttps/credential_access/access_secret_in_secrets_manager/ | 2 |
| docs.aws.amazon.com/secretsmanager/latest/apireference/API_GetSecretValue.html | 3 |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- 185c782e-f86a-11ee-9d9f-f661ea17fbce
- Tagged by the source as
- Data Source: Amazon Web ServicesData Source: AWSData Source: AWS CloudTrailData Source: AWS Secrets ManagerDomain: CloudNoise: HighPerformance: NormalPlatform: AWSProfile: AggressiveResources: Investigation GuideRule Type: ThresholdService: AWS Secrets ManagerTactic: Credential Access
Licence
- Published under
- Elastic License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Sep 20, 2026
- Version
- 3