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Neptune cluster has IAM authentication enabled

neptune_cluster_iam_authentication_enabled
Service: neptuneSeverity: medium
OfficialBuilt-inVerified
Categories:identity-access
Resource Type:AwsRdsDbCluster

Neptune DB clusters are evaluated for IAM database authentication.

If this setting is enabled, the cluster supports IAM-based authentication. If disabled, the cluster requires traditional database credentials instead.

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Risk

Disabled IAM database authentication weakens confidentiality and integrity of the database.

  • Static or embedded DB credentials can be stolen or reused, enabling unauthorized queries and data exfiltration
  • Attackers may bypass centralized access controls, escalate privileges, and move laterally without IAM-based audit trails

Run this check with Prowler

Run in Prowler Cloud
Run
prowler aws --checks neptune_cluster_iam_authentication_enabled

Recommendation

Adopt IAM database authentication and centralized identity management to remove static DB credentials and improve auditability.

  • Enforce least privilege for database roles
  • Use short-lived credentials, centralized rotation and logging
  • Apply defense-in-depth and integrate DB access with IAM for accountability

Remediation

CLI

aws neptune modify-db-cluster --db-cluster-identifier <DB_CLUSTER_ID> --enable-iam-database-authentication --apply-immediately

Terraform

resource "aws_neptune_cluster" "example_resource" {
  cluster_identifier                  = "<DB_CLUSTER_ID>"
  iam_database_authentication_enabled = true  # Enable IAM authentication instead of static DB credentials
}

NativeIaC

Resources:
  NeptuneCluster:
    Type: AWS::Neptune::DBCluster
    Properties:
      DBClusterIdentifier: <DB_CLUSTER_ID>
      IamAuthEnabled: true  # Enable IAM authentication instead of static DB credentials

Other

1Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open Amazon Neptune > Databases
2Select the DB cluster and choose **Actions** > **Modify**
3In **Authentication**, enable **IAM DB authentication** and check **Apply immediately**
4Click **Continue** then **Modify DB cluster**

Check Code

from prowler.lib.check.models import Check, Check_Report_AWS
from prowler.providers.aws.services.neptune.neptune_client import neptune_client


class neptune_cluster_iam_authentication_enabled(Check):
    def execute(self):
        findings = []
        for cluster in neptune_client.clusters.values():
            report = Check_Report_AWS(metadata=self.metadata(), resource=cluster)
            report.resource_id = cluster.name
            report.status = "FAIL"
            report.status_extended = f"Neptune Cluster {cluster.name} does not have IAM authentication enabled."
            if cluster.iam_auth:
                report.status = "PASS"
                report.status_extended = (
                    f"Neptune Cluster {cluster.name} has IAM authentication enabled."
                )

            findings.append(report)

        return findings

References