SEC03: How do you manage permissions for people and machines?

Manage permissions to control access to people and machine identities that require access to AWS and your workload. Permissions control who can access what, and under what conditions.

Best Practices

This question includes the following best practices:

Key Concepts

Permission Management Principles

Least Privilege: Grant only the minimum permissions necessary to perform required tasks. This fundamental principle reduces the potential impact of compromised credentials and limits the scope of potential security incidents.

Defense in Depth: Implement multiple layers of access controls, including identity-based policies, resource-based policies, permission boundaries, and organizational controls.

Zero Trust: Verify every access request regardless of location or previous authentication. Continuously validate access decisions based on current context and risk factors.

Access Control Models

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Assign permissions to roles based on job functions, then assign users to appropriate roles. This simplifies permission management and ensures consistent access patterns.

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC): Make access decisions based on attributes of the user, resource, environment, and action. This provides fine-grained, dynamic access control.

Resource-Based Access Control: Use resource-based policies to control access to specific resources, enabling cross-account access and service-to-service authentication.

AWS Services to Consider

AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Enables you to manage access to AWS services and resources securely. Core service for implementing identity-based policies, roles, and permission boundaries.

AWS IAM Identity Center

Helps you securely create or connect your workforce identities and manage their access centrally across AWS accounts and applications. Ideal for managing human user access at scale.

AWS Organizations

Helps you centrally manage and govern your environment as you scale your AWS resources. Use Service Control Policies (SCPs) to implement organization-wide permission guardrails.

AWS IAM Access Analyzer

Helps you identify resources in your organization and accounts that are shared with an external entity. Also helps identify unused permissions and generate least privilege policies.

AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM)

Helps you securely share your resources across AWS accounts within your organization. Enables controlled resource sharing without compromising security.

AWS CloudTrail

Records API calls for your account and delivers log files to you. Essential for monitoring permission usage and detecting unauthorized access attempts.

Implementation Approach

1. Assessment and Planning

Inventory all identities (human and machine) that need access
Document current access patterns and requirements
Identify compliance and regulatory requirements
Define your organization’s risk tolerance

2. Design and Architecture

Choose appropriate access control models for different use cases
Design role hierarchies and permission structures
Plan for cross-account and third-party access scenarios
Design emergency access procedures

3. Implementation

Implement identity providers and federation
Create roles and policies following least privilege principles
Set up permission boundaries and guardrails
Implement monitoring and auditing mechanisms

4. Operations and Maintenance

Regularly review and update permissions
Monitor for unused and excessive permissions
Conduct periodic access reviews
Respond to security events and policy violations

Common Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: Permission Sprawl

Solution: Implement regular permission reviews, use IAM Access Analyzer to identify unused permissions, and establish processes for permission lifecycle management.

Challenge: Emergency Access

Solution: Design and test break-glass procedures, implement time-limited emergency roles, and ensure proper monitoring and auditing of emergency access usage.

Challenge: Cross-Account Access

Solution: Use IAM roles with external IDs for secure cross-account access, implement proper trust relationships, and monitor cross-account activities.

Challenge: Third-Party Access

Solution: Implement additional security controls for third-party access, use time-limited credentials, and apply enhanced monitoring and restrictions.