AWS: IAM CreateAccessKey Privilege Escalation

AWS: IAM CreateAccessKey Privilege Escalation

This article explains how misconfigured IAM policies, specifically the abuse of iam:CreateAccessKey permission, can lead to privilege escalation in AWS environments. It emphasizes the importance of strict permission management and monitoring to prevent security risks. #iamCreateAccessKey #PrivilegeEscalation

Keypoints

  • The iam:CreateAccessKey permission allows creating access keys for specified IAM users.
  • Misconfigured policies can enable low-privileged users to escalate privileges by creating access keys for high-privileged users.
  • Best practices recommend avoiding overly permissive policies with wildcard resources and monitoring key creation activity.
  • The lab demonstrates privilege escalation from a low-privileged IAM user to admin access through policy abuse.
  • Using temporary credentials instead of long-term access keys, and implementing strict access controls, enhances cloud security.

Read More: https://www.hackingarticles.in/aws-iam-createaccesskey-privilege-escalation/