Hey everyone, I'm in a tough spot and could really use some advice. Our AWS account is currently locked because the Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is tied to the phone of an ex-employee who we had to let go for misconduct. They're not being cooperative at all, and they won't help us transfer or disable the MFA. We also realized we don't have an IAM account set up, so managing this internally is a dead end for us. We reached out to AWS support, but they weren't able to provide any solutions. Has anyone encountered a similar issue with AWS MFA? Were you able to reset the MFA or regain access? Do you think escalating to a higher support level or providing certain verification documents could work? We don't have a paid support plan, but we're open to any and all suggestions. Thanks in advance for your help!
5 Answers
Unfortunately, there's no quick workaround for MFA issues like this. If there were, it would defeat the purpose of having MFA. You might want to consider offering your previous employee some financial incentive to regain access. That might help motivate them to cooperate!
I’ve faced a similar issue at a previous job and AWS was willing to assist us. We had an MFA issue with an ex-employee too, and we didn’t even reach out to them. Instead, we worked directly with our AWS account representative and they helped us sort things out.
That sounds like it was a while ago; since then, getting reliable support from AWS has been pretty hit or miss, especially with having more rep cutbacks.
This isn’t just an IT issue anymore. You might want to consider getting legal help to navigate this situation since the ex-employee isn't obliged to assist you at all. AWS has their policies, but it’s best to check what legal steps you can take if needed.
I don't really think a lawyer will help much here. The former employee can’t be forced to help, and AWS isn't legally bound to assist you either, other than following their stated policies.
Yikes, this is going to be a pricey lesson for sure! Your quickest option might just be to pay the ex-employee for their help. They likely know how much you need access, so they hold the cards here.
Honestly, the fastest way to resolve this might be to just offer the former employee a consulting fee for their help. It’s not the most pleasant option, but it could save you a lot of time and hassle in resolving this with AWS later.
Actually, there are cases where you can reset MFA if you have access to another admin account or through email verification. Just something to keep in mind!