AWS Account Security Restricted? Here’s My 56‐Hour Unblock Journey
Patch the code vulnerability that leaked Access Keys.
Patch the code vulnerability that leaked Access Keys.
Summary
A leaked Access Key triggered an AWS security notice that restricted the account on Saturday, preventing EC2 launches in Singapore and halting production. The author followed AWS’s five‑step recovery: change root password, enable MFA, review CloudTrail logs, delete unauthorized IAM resources, and reply to the support case. The root cause was a code vulnerability that exposed the keys, and the author requested a review to restart the Singapore EC2 instance after four hours of downtime.
The 56‑hour timeline included a security review with four questions about location, personnel, and IAM authorization, a suspicious S3 bucket deletion, a 48‑hour wait, and a switch to chat support that proved faster than case replies. Finally, the account was restored after confirming all steps. Lessons include removing hardcoded credentials, using Secrets Manager, and enabling git‑secrets to prevent future leaks.
Key changes
- AWS security notice triggered account restriction due to leaked Access Keys
- Immediate steps: change root password, enable MFA, review CloudTrail, delete unauthorized IAM resources
- Root cause: code vulnerability that leaked keys
- 56‑hour recovery timeline: initial response, root cause, security review, suspicious S3 bucket, 48‑hour wait, chat support, final restoration
- Security team asked four questions: location, personnel, IAM authorization
- Chat support proved faster than case replies
- Final restoration after confirming all steps
- Lessons: remove hardcoded credentials, use Secrets Manager, enable git‑secrets