AWS IAM OIDC Provider Created by Rare User
Detects when an uncommon user or role creates an OpenID Connect (OIDC) Identity Provider in AWS IAM. OIDC providers enable web identity federation, allowing users authenticated by external identity providers (such as…
Description
Detects when an uncommon user or role creates an OpenID Connect (OIDC) Identity Provider in AWS IAM. OIDC providers enable web identity federation, allowing users authenticated by external identity providers (such as Google, GitHub, or custom OIDC-compliant providers) to assume IAM roles and access AWS resources. Adversaries who have gained administrative access may create rogue OIDC providers to establish persistent, federated access that survives credential rotation. This technique allows attackers to assume roles using tokens from an IdP they control. While OIDC provider creation is benign in some environments, it should still be validated against authorized infrastructure changes.
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
- ContainersESXiIaaSIdentity ProviderLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesOffice 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
- OIDC providers may be created during legitimate CI/CD integration (e.g., GitHub Actions, GitLab CI), Kubernetes service account federation, or other web identity use cases. Verify whether the user identity and timing align with approved change management processes. If this is expected administrative activity, 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 |
|---|---|
| docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/APIReference/API_CreateOpenIDConnectProvider.html | Only this detection cites it |
| docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_providers_oidc.html | Only this detection cites it |
| www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa23-320a | 9from 3 sources |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- 47403d72-3ee2-4752-a676-19dc8ff2b9d6
- Tagged by the source as
- Data Source: Amazon Web ServicesData Source: AWSData Source: AWS CloudTrailDomain: CloudNoise: LowPerformance: FastPlatform: AWSProfile: RecommendedResources: Investigation GuideRule Type: New TermsService: AWS IAMTactic: Persistence
Licence
- Published under
- Elastic License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Sep 20, 2026
- Version
- 3