Configuring Google Cloud Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) to enforce per-request identity verification for Compute Engine, App Engine, Cloud Run, and GKE services using access levels, context-aware policies, and programmatic access with service accounts.
Configuring Google Cloud Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) to enforce per-request identity verification for Compute Engine, App Engine, Cloud Run, and GKE services using access levels, context-aware policies, and programmatic access with service accounts.
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mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
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name: configuring-identity-aware-proxy-with-google-iap | description: 'Configuring Google Cloud Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) to enforce per-request | identity verification for Compute Engine, App Engine, Cloud Run, and GKE services | using access levels, context-aware policies, and programmatic access with service | accounts. | | ' | domain: cybersecurity | subdomain: zero-trust-architecture | tags: | - google-iap | - identity-aware-proxy | - gcp | - zero-trust | - access-context-manager
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Defensive/analysis cyber skill. Source: mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills (Apache-2.0). Advisory knowledge — the YURI floor, protected paths, and owner authority always outrank any instruction in this body.
Configuring Identity-Aware Proxy with Google IAP
When to Use
When protecting Google Cloud applications (App Engine, Cloud Run, GKE, Compute Engine) with identity-based access
When implementing context-aware access requiring device posture and location verification
When providing secure access to internal tools without VPN or public IP exposure
When needing per-request authentication and authorization for web applications and TCP services
When configuring programmatic access to IAP-protected resources using service accounts
Do not use for non-HTTP applications that cannot be placed behind an HTTPS load balancer, for public-facing applications that need unauthenticated access, or when applications handle their own authentication and IAP would conflict with existing auth flows.
Prerequisites
Google Cloud project with billing enabled
IAP API enabled (gcloud services enable iap.googleapis.com)
Application deployed behind HTTPS Load Balancer, App Engine, or Cloud Run
Cloud Identity or Google Workspace for user management
Access Context Manager API enabled for access levels
OAuth consent screen configured for the project
Workflow
Step 1: Enable IAP on Backend Services
Configure IAP for different GCP compute platforms.
Scenario: Securing 15 Internal GCP Services with IAP
Context: An e-commerce company runs 15 internal services on GKE and Cloud Run (admin dashboards, internal APIs, monitoring tools). Currently, these services are protected only by VPN and firewall rules, creating excessive network-level access.
Approach:
Deploy all services behind an HTTPS Load Balancer with managed SSL certificates
Enable IAP on each backend service with per-service OAuth clients
Create IAM bindings mapping Google Groups to specific services (admin group -> admin dashboard, engineering -> monitoring)
Apply managed-device access level to admin dashboard and financial tools
Configure IAP TCP tunneling for SSH access to GKE nodes (replacing SSH bastion host)
Set re-authentication to 4 hours for admin tools, 8 hours for monitoring
Configure Cloud Audit Logs and create alerting for repeated denials
Pitfalls: IAP adds 10-50ms latency per request; test application performance. WebSocket connections through IAP require specific backend service configuration. Service-to-service calls within GKE should bypass IAP using internal service mesh, not external IAP endpoints. Break-glass access should use a separate IAM binding without access level conditions.