AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Question 1

A web service that helps you securely control access to AWS resources.

Answer 1

AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Question 2

AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) Features and Benefits

Answer 2

You use IAM to control who is authenticated (signed in) and authorized (has permissions) to use resources.

IAM makes it easy to provide multiple users secure access to AWS resources.

Question 3

AWS account root user

Answer 3

When you first create an AWS account, you begin with a single sign-in identity that has complete access to all AWS services and resources in the account.

This identity is called the AWS account root user and is accessed by signing in with the email address and password that you used to create the account.

Question 4

IAM can be used to manage:

Answer 4

Users.

Groups.

Access policies.

Roles.

User credentials.

User password policies.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA).

API keys for programmatic access (CLI).

Question 5

IAM provides the following features:

Answer 5

Shared access to your AWS account.

Granular permissions.

Secure access to AWS resources for application that run on Amazon EC2.

Multi-Factor authentication.

Identity federation.

Identity information for assurance.

PCI DSS compliance.

Integrated with may AWS services.

Eventually consistent.
Free to use.

Question 6

Ways to access AWS Identity and Access Management

Answer 6

AWS Management Console.

AWS Command Line Tools.

AWS SDKs.

IAM HTTPS API.

Question 7

IAM User Facts

Answer 7

By default new users are created with NO access to any AWS services – they can only login to the AWS console.

Permission must be explicitly granted to allow a user to access an AWS service.

IAM users are individuals who have been granted access to an AWS account.

Question 8

IAM User Components

Answer 8

A username.

A password.

Permissions to access various resources.

Question 9

Identity and Access Management Facts

Answer 9

You can apply granular permissions with IAM.

You can assign users individual security credentials such as access keys, passwords, and multi-factor authentication devices.

IAM is not used for application-level authentication.

Question 10

Identity Federation

Answer 10

Identity Federation (including AD, Facebook etc.) can be configured allowing secure access to resources in an AWS account without creating an IAM user account.

Question 11

IAM Multi-Factor Authentication

Answer 11

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) can be enabled/enforced for the AWS account and for individual users under the account.

MFA uses an authentication device that continually generates random, six-digit, single-use authentication codes.

Question 12

You can authenticate using an MFA device in the following ways:

Answer 12

Through the AWS Management Console – the user is prompted for a user name, password, and authentication code.

Using the AWS API – restrictions are added to IAM policies and developers can request temporary security credentials and pass MFA parameters in their AWS STS API requests.

Using the AWS CLI by obtaining temporary security credentials from STS (aws sts get-session-token).

Question 13

Other IAM Benefits and Features

Answer 13

It is a best practice to always setup multi-factor authentication on the root account.

IAM is universal (global) and does not apply to regions.

IAM replicates data across multiple data centers around the world.

IAM integrates with many different AWS services.

Question 14

The account created when you setup the AWS account. It has complete Admin access and is the only account that has this access by default.

Answer 14

Root Account/User

Question 15

Allows all permissions except the management of groups and users in IAM.

Answer 15

Power user access

Question 16

Temporary security credentials consist of:

Answer 16

AWS access key ID,

secret access key,

and security token.

Question 17

True or False:

IAM can assign temporary security credentials to provide users with temporary access to services/resources.

Answer 17

True

Question 18

To sign-in you must provide your account ID or account alias in addition to a user name and password.

Answer 18

The sign-in URL includes the account ID or account alias, e.g.:

https://My_AWS_Account_ID.signin.aws.amazon.com/console/

Alternatively, you can sign-in at the following URL and enter your account ID or alias manually:

https://console.aws.amazon.com/

Question 19

IAM Authentication Methods

Answer 19

Console password

Access Keys

Server certificates:

Question 20

Console Password Authentication Method

Answer 20

A password that the user can enter to sign in to interactive sessions such as the AWS Management Console.

You can allow users to change their own passwords.

You can allow selected IAM users to change their passwords by disabling the option for all users and using an IAM policy to grant permissions for the selected users.

Question 21

Access Key Authentication Method

Answer 21

A combination of an access key ID and a secret access key.

You can assign two active access keys to a user at a time.

These can be used to make programmatic calls to AWS when using the API in program code or at a command prompt when using the AWS CLI or the AWS PowerShell tools.

You can create, modify, view, or rotate access keys.

When created IAM returns the access key ID and secret access key.
The secret access is returned only at creation time and if lost a new key must be created.

Ensure access keys and secret access keys are stored securely.

Users can be given access to change their own keys through IAM policy (not from the console).

You can disable a user’s access key which prevents it from being used for API calls.

Question 22

Server Certificates Authentication Method

Answer 22

SSL/TLS certificates that you can use to authenticate with some AWS services.

AWS recommends that you use the AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) to provision, manage and deploy your server certificates.

Use IAM only when you must support HTTPS connections in a region that is not supported by ACM.

Question 23

An entity that represents a person or service

Answer 23

IAM Users

Question 24

IAM Users can be assigned:

Answer 24

An access key ID and secret access key for programmatic access to the AWS API, CLI, SDK, and other development tools.

A password for access to the management console.

Question 25

IAM User Facts

Answer 25

By default, users cannot access anything in your account.

The account root user credentials are the email address used to create the account and a password.

The root account has full administrative permissions, and these cannot be restricted.

You can have up to 5000 users per AWS account.

Each user account has a friendly name and an ARN which uniquely identifies the user across AWS.

A unique ID is also created which is returned only when you create the user using the API, Tools for Windows PowerShell, or the AWS CLI.

You should create individual IAM accounts for users (best practice not to share accounts).

The Access Key ID and Secret Access Key are not the same as a password and cannot be used to login to the AWS console.

The Access Key ID and Secret Access Key can only be used once and must be regenerated if lost.

A password policy can be defined for enforcing password length, complexity etc. (applies to all users).

You can allow or disallow the ability to change passwords using an IAM policy.

Access keys and passwords should be changed regularly.

Question 26

Best practice for root accounts/User:

Answer 26

Avoid using the root account for anything other than billing.

Don’t use the root user credentials.

Don’t share the root user credentials.

Create an IAM user and assign administrative permissions as required

Enable MFA.

Question 27

IAM User created to represent applications

Answer 27

Service accounts

Question 28

IAM Groups

Answer 28

Groups are collections of users and have policies attached to them.

A group is not an identity and cannot be identified as a principal in an IAM policy.

Use groups to assign permissions to users.

Use the principle of least privilege when assigning permissions.

You cannot nest groups (groups within groups).

Question 29

IAM Roles

Answer 29

Roles are created and then “assumed” by trusted entities and define a set of permissions for making AWS service requests.

With IAM Roles you can delegate permissions to resources for users and services without using permanent credentials (e.g. user name and password).

IAM users or AWS services can assume a role to obtain temporary security credentials that can be used to make AWS API calls.

You can delegate using roles.

There are no credentials associated with a role (password or access keys).

IAM users can temporarily assume a role to take on permissions for a specific task.

A role can be assigned to a federated user who signs in using an external identity provider.

Temporary credentials are primarily used with IAM roles and automatically expire.

Roles can be assumed temporarily through the console or programmatically with the AWS CLI, Tools for Windows PowerShell, or the API.

Question 30

IAM roles with EC2 instances:

Answer 30

IAM roles can be used for granting applications running on EC2 instances permissions to AWS API requests using instance profiles.

Only one role can be assigned to an EC2 instance at a time.

A role can be assigned at the EC2 instance creation time or at any time afterwards.

When using the AWS CLI or API instance profiles must be created manually (it’s automatic and transparent through the console).

Applications retrieve temporary security credentials from the instance metadata.

Question 31

Role Delegation:

Answer 31

Create an IAM role with two policies:
Permissions policy – grants the user of the role the required permissions on a resource.
Trust policy – specifies the trusted accounts that are allowed to assume the role.

Wildcards (*) cannot be specified as a principal.

A permissions policy must also be attached to the user in the trusted account.

Question 32

IAM Policies

Answer 32

Policies are documents that define permissions and can be applied to users, groups, and roles.

Policy documents are written in JSON (key value pair that consists of an attribute and a value).

All permissions are implicitly denied by default.

The most restrictive policy is applied.

The IAM policy simulator is a tool to help you understand, test, and validate the effects of access control policies.

The Condition element can be used to apply further conditional logic.

Question 33

A web service that enables you to request temporary, limited-privilege credentials for IAM users or for users that you authenticate (federated users).

Answer 33

AWS Security Token Service (AWS STS)

Question 34

Temporary security credentials work almost identically to long-term access key credentials that IAM users can use, with the following differences:

Answer 34

Temporary security credentials are short-term.

They can be configured to last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

After the credentials expire, AWS no longer recognizes them or allows any kind of access to API requests made with them.

Temporary security credentials are not stored with the user but are generated dynamically and provided to the user when requested.

When (or even before) the temporary security credentials expire, the user can request new credentials, if the user requesting them still has permission to do so.

Question 35

Advantages of Security Token Service (STS) are:

Answer 35

You do not have to distribute or embed long-term AWS security credentials with an application.

You can provide access to your AWS resources to users without having to define an AWS identity for them (temporary security credentials are the basis for IAM Roles and ID Federation).

The temporary security credentials have a limited lifetime, so you do not have to rotate them or explicitly revoke them when they’re no longer needed.

After temporary security credentials expire, they cannot be reused (you can specify how long the credentials are valid for, up to a maximum limit)

Question 36

3 Amazon STS User Sources

Answer 36

Federation (typically AD)

Federation with Mobile Apps

Cross Account Access

Question 37

Federation (typically AD) STS User Source

Answer 37

Uses SAML 2.0.

Grants temporary access based on the users AD credentials.

Does not need to be a user in IAM.

Single sign-on allows users to login to the AWS console without assigning IAM credentials.

Question 38

Federation with Mobile Apps STS User Source

Answer 38

Use Facebook/Amazon/Google or other OpenID providers to login.

Question 39

Cross Account Access STS User Source

Answer 39

Allows users from one AWS account access resources in another.

To make a request in a different account the resource in that account must have an attached resource-based policy with the permissions you need.

Or you must assume a role (identity-based policy) within that account with the permissions you need.

Question 40

IAM Best Practices

Answer 40

Lock away the AWS root user access keys.

Create individual IAM users.

Use AWS defined policies to assign permissions whenever possible.

Use groups to assign permissions to IAM users.

Grant least privilege.

Use access levels to review IAM permissions.

Configure a strong password policy for users.

Enable MFA.

Use roles for applications that run on AWS EC2 instances.

Delegate by using roles instead of sharing credentials.

Rotate credentials regularly.

Remove unnecessary credentials.

Use policy conditions for extra security.

Monitor activity in your AWS account.