| name | detecting-aws-iam-privilege-escalation |
| description | Detect AWS IAM privilege escalation paths using boto3 and Cloudsplaining policy analysis to identify overly permissive policies, dangerous permission combinations, and least-privilege violations |
| domain | cybersecurity |
| subdomain | cloud-security |
| tags | ["aws","iam","privilege-escalation","cloudsplaining","boto3","policy-analysis","least-privilege"] |
| version | 1.0 |
| author | mahipal |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| nist_csf | ["PR.IR-01","ID.AM-08","GV.SC-06","DE.CM-01"] |
Detecting AWS IAM Privilege Escalation
Overview
This skill uses boto3 and Cloudsplaining-style analysis to identify IAM privilege escalation paths in AWS accounts. It downloads the account authorization details, analyzes each policy for dangerous permission combinations (iam:PassRole + lambda:CreateFunction, iam:CreatePolicyVersion, sts:AssumeRole), and flags policies that violate least-privilege principles.
When to Use
- When investigating security incidents that require detecting aws iam privilege escalation
- When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
- When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
- When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques
Prerequisites
- Python 3.8+ with boto3 library
- AWS credentials with IAM read-only access (iam:GetAccountAuthorizationDetails)
- Optional: cloudsplaining Python package for HTML report generation
Steps
- Download IAM Authorization Details — Call iam:GetAccountAuthorizationDetails to retrieve all users, groups, roles, and policies
- Analyze Policies for Privilege Escalation — Check each policy for known escalation permission combinations
- Identify Wildcard Resource Policies — Flag policies using Resource: "*" with dangerous actions
- Map Principal-to-Policy Relationships — Build a graph of which principals can access which escalation paths
- Score and Prioritize Findings — Rank findings by severity based on escalation vector type
- Generate Report — Produce structured JSON report with remediation guidance
Expected Output
- JSON report of privilege escalation findings with severity scores
- List of dangerous permission combinations per principal
- Wildcard resource policy audit results
- Remediation recommendations for each finding
