Identity Access Management (IAM)

  • Manages long-term access of AWS users and resources (use ARN)

  • 5,000 IAM users per account (use IAM role/ federation if exceeds)

  • an IAM user can be a member of 10 groups

  • IAM groups (like a label)

    • are containers for users
    • not a true identity ⇒ can’t be referenced as a principal
    • have no credential
    • no limit of group members
    • no nesting
    • limit 300 group per account

IAM roles

Principle: a thing (user, device, application, process) whose access is managed

Authentication: Principle request access by providing U&P or Access keys to IAM

Authorization: AWS checked with IAM to allow/ deny principle use the service

Policy

  • (≥1) security statement to grant acacess

  • types of policies

    Identity Access Management (IAM%2067545689bf024a28b9cce33e9b6b6002/Untitled%201.png)

  • policy structure

    Identity Access Management (IAM%2067545689bf024a28b9cce33e9b6b6002/Untitled%202.png)

  • Priority applies when there are contradiction

    1. explicit deny
    2. explicit allow
    3. Default (implicit) deny
  • password policies

    Identity Access Management (IAM%2067545689bf024a28b9cce33e9b6b6002/Untitled%203.png)

  • Programmatic Access Key

    Identity Access Management (IAM%2067545689bf024a28b9cce33e9b6b6002/Untitled%204.png)

  • multi-factor authentication (MFA)

    • admin can only allow the option, using it or not depends on the users’ choice
    • but admin the restricts access to certain resources

    Identity Access Management (IAM%2067545689bf024a28b9cce33e9b6b6002/Untitled%205.png)

  • How can policy work in different ways

    • role can be assigned to a user, group, or even resources themselves

    • single role can have multiple policies

      Identity Access Management (IAM%2067545689bf024a28b9cce33e9b6b6002/Untitled%206.png)

    • policies can attach the role, or user (inline policies)

AWS organization