The latest articles on DEV Community by Chandegara Rushit (@chandegara_rushit). https://dev.to/chandegara_rushit https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F2753842%2F1c0bae46-8067-4bc7-a2ee-eb28a388d075.png https://dev.to/chandegara_rushit en Chandegara Rushit Thu, 23 Jan 2025 17:53:24 +0000 https://dev.to/chandegara_rushit/how-to-enable-multi-session-support-in-the-aws-console-3h9n https://dev.to/chandegara_rushit/how-to-enable-multi-session-support-in-the-aws-console-3h9n <h2> Have you explored AWS Multi-Session Support yet? </h2> <p><strong>You might have spotted the option to enable it in the top-right corner of the AWS Management Console when you're logged in.</strong></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F4qmi95tb17fkild451ni.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F4qmi95tb17fkild451ni.png" alt="Multi-Session AWS Console" width="800" height="338"></a></p> <p>AWS has rolled out <strong>multi-session support</strong> in the AWS Management Console, allowing users to log in to up to 5 accounts simultaneously—be it root, IAM, or federated roles across different accounts or even within the same account.</p> <p>Gone are the days of logging out and back in repeatedly. With this feature, you can seamlessly switch between dev, staging, and production accounts or roles, all in one browser!</p> <p><strong>How It Works</strong></p> <ol> <li> <strong>Enable Multi-Session:</strong> Click your account name in the AWS Console, then select “Turn on multi-session support.”</li> <li> <strong>Add a New Session:</strong> Choose “Add session” and sign in to a new AWS account or role in a fresh tab.</li> <li> <strong>Isolated Tabs:</strong> Each session opens in its own tab with a unique subdomain, such as:</li> <li><code>https://123456789012-abcdefgh.us-east-1.console.aws.amazon.com</code></li> </ol> <p><strong>Important Notes</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Supports up to 5 concurrent sessions.</strong></li> <li>Browser-specific – needs to be enabled per browser.</li> <li> <strong>Update bookmarks</strong> to reflect unique session URLs.</li> </ul> <h2> Security Considerations </h2> <p>While this feature is a massive productivity boost, there's a <strong>security concern</strong> worth noting:</p> <p><strong>AWS Account IDs in Subdomains</strong></p> <ul> <li>Once multi-session support is enabled, the account ID becomes part of the console URL.</li> <li>Even if you use an account alias, the account ID remains visible in the subdomain.</li> <li>Some argue that account IDs should be private, while others see them as mere identifiers.</li> <li>Regardless of where you stand in this debate, AWS account IDs appearing in URLs could potentially expose identifiers that might aid attackers in targeted phishing attempts or enumeration tactics.</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Flypkfanpelfmumnsqab7.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Flypkfanpelfmumnsqab7.png" alt="Security Considerations" width="800" height="800"></a></p> <p><strong>Why This Feature is a Game-Changer</strong></p> <ul> <li> <strong>Security Investigations:</strong> Quickly switch between accounts to analyze events.</li> <li> <strong>Support Teams:</strong> Troubleshoot issues across multiple environments.</li> <li> <strong>DevOps Engineers:</strong> Compare configurations between dev, staging, and prod.</li> <li> <strong>Cloud Architects:</strong> Easily manage multi-account setups.</li> </ul> <p>This feature is currently available in all Commercial AWS Regions and needs to be enabled per browser.</p> <p><code>#CloudSecurity #AWSCommunity #AWSSecurity #DevOps #CloudComputing #CloudManagement #SecurityBestPractices #AWSUpdates #DevSecOps</code></p> aws devops productivity cloud