[New Rule] AWS GetFederationToken Followed by Console Login via Federation Exchange

[bryans3c]

Pull Request

Issue link(s):

• https://github.com/elastic/ia-trade-team/issues/1066

Summary - What I changed

Added an eql sequence rule that detects the three-event chain produced by tools like aws_consoler: GetFederationToken → GetSigninToken → ConsoleLogin, all from the same source IP within two minutes.

Why it matters

Adversaries who exfiltrate long-term IAM access keys (AKIA* prefix) can use tools like aws_consoler to convert those keys into browser-accessible AWS console sessions without triggering additional authentication challenges. The tool calls GetFederationToken to obtain temporary credentials, exchanges them at the AWS federation endpoint for a signed console URL via GetSigninToken, and opens that URL triggering ConsoleLogin. The source IP correlation across all three events makes this sequence highly specific to automated tooling, distinguishing it from coincidental federation activity.

• https://github.com/NetSPI/aws_consoler
• https://www.netspi.com/blog/technical-blog/cloud-pentesting/gaining-aws-console-access-via-api-keys/
• https://securitylabs.datadoghq.com/cloud-security-atlas/attacks/accessing-the-aws-console-with-getfederationtoken/

How To Test

Query to verify in our TRaDE stack:

sequence by source.ip with maxspan=2m
  [any where event.provider == "sts.amazonaws.com"
   and event.action == "GetFederationToken"
   and event.outcome == "success"]
  [any where event.provider == "signin.amazonaws.com"
   and event.action == "GetSigninToken"
   and event.outcome == "success"]
  [any where event.provider == "signin.amazonaws.com"
   and event.action == "ConsoleLogin"
   and event.outcome == "success"]

Checklist

• Added a label for the type of pr: Rule: New
• Secret and sensitive material has been managed correctly
• Automated testing was updated or added to match the most common scenarios
• Documentation and comments were added for features that require explanation

Contributor checklist

• Have you signed the contributor license agreement?
• Have you followed the contributor guidelines?

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Adds a new AWS CloudTrail EQL sequence detection rule to identify an aws_consoler-like federation exchange flow (GetFederationToken → GetSigninToken → ConsoleLogin) correlated by source.ip within a 2-minute window.

Changes:

• Introduces a new production AWS EQL sequence rule for federation-token-to-console-login chaining.
• Adds investigation guidance, references, and ATT&CK mapping for analyst triage.

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[github-actions]

Rule: New - Guidelines

These guidelines serve as a reminder set of considerations when proposing a new rule.

Documentation and Context

• Detailed description of the rule.
• List any new fields required in ECS/data sources.
• Link related issues or PRs.
• Include references.

Rule Metadata Checks

• creation_date matches the date of creation PR initially merged.
• min_stack_version should support the widest stack versions.
• name and description should be descriptive and not include typos.
• query should be inclusive, not overly exclusive, considering performance for diverse environments. Non ecs fields should be added to non-ecs-schema.json if not available in an integration.
• min_stack_comments and min_stack_version should be included if the rule is only compatible starting from a specific stack version.
• index pattern should be neither too specific nor too vague, ensuring it accurately matches the relevant data stream (e.g., use logs-endpoint.process-* for process data).
• integration should align with the index. If the integration is newly introduced, ensure the manifest, schemas, and new_rule.yaml template are updated.
• setup should include the necessary steps to configure the integration.
• note should include any additional information (e.g. Triage and analysis investigation guides, timeline templates).
• tags should be relevant to the threat and align/added to the EXPECTED_RULE_TAGS in the definitions.py file.
• threat, techniques, and subtechniques should map to ATT&CK always if possible.

New BBR Rules

• building_block_type should be included if the rule is a building block and the rule should be located in the rules_building_block folder.
• bypass_bbr_timing should be included if adding custom lookback timing to the rule.

Testing and Validation

• Provide evidence of testing and detecting the expected threat.
• Check for existence of coverage to prevent duplication.

[terrancedejesus]

LGTM! Was unable to trace any matches in the trade lab, would confirm sequence before proceeding. Noticed in DataDog's blog they note GetFederationToken to ConsoleLogin so our logic is a bit tighter.