Cyber Hacker Academy
Lesson 2 of 10

Identity & Access Management in the Cloud

Identity is the new perimeter in cloud security. This lesson dives deep into cloud IAM — how users, roles, and policies work in AWS, Azure, and GCP, and how attackers exploit overly permissive configurations to escalate privileges and move laterally. You will learn the principle of least privilege in practice, how to audit IAM policies, and how to detect and respond to credential compromise in a cloud environment.

Learning Objectives — Deep Dive

Each objective below is broken down into plain English so you know exactly what you are learning, why it matters, and what you will be able to do when you are done. Mark each one complete as you work through the lesson.

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In plain English

In simple terms: Apply the principle of least privilege to IAM roles and policies. This means building enough understanding that you can apply this concept in a real scenario — not just answer a quiz question about it, but actually use it when it matters. Focus on the "why" behind the concept, not just the "what."

Why this matters

This objective builds a foundational skill that every security professional uses regularly. Mastering it gives you the vocabulary, mental models, and practical ability to tackle more advanced topics with confidence — and to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical colleagues.

Real-world analogy

Think of it like learning to drive. You do not need to understand how the engine works to drive safely, but knowing the basics helps you diagnose problems and avoid mistakes that could cause accidents. The same principle applies here — foundational knowledge prevents costly errors.

What you will be able to do

Apply this skill in a real lab environment, explain it clearly to a colleague or client, and use it as a building block for the more advanced techniques that come later in this course.

Beginner tip

Do not try to memorize everything at once. Read through the material once to get the big picture, then go back and work through the lab. The hands-on practice is what makes the concepts stick — passive reading alone will not get you there.

Identity & Access Management in the Cloud · Objective 1 of 4

VIDEO
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1

Audit existing IAM users

List all IAM users and check for those with AdministratorAccess or wildcard policies.

aws iam list-users --query "Users[*].UserName" --output table
2

Check for unused access keys

Generate a credential report to find access keys older than 90 days or never used.

aws iam generate-credential-report && aws iam get-credential-report --query "Content" --output text | base64 -d
3

Enable MFA for all IAM users

List users without MFA devices and enforce MFA via a deny policy for non-MFA sessions.

aws iam list-virtual-mfa-devices --assignment-status Unassigned --query "VirtualMFADevices[*].SerialNumber"
4

Enable IAM Access Analyzer

Create an analyzer in your region to continuously monitor for externally accessible resources.

aws accessanalyzer create-analyzer --analyzer-name my-analyzer --type ACCOUNT
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