Least privilege principle in AWS - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the Least Privilege Principle in cloud security?

It means giving users or systems only the minimum access rights they need to do their job, nothing more.

beginner

Why is the Least Privilege Principle important in AWS?

It reduces the risk of accidental or malicious actions by limiting what users and services can do.

intermediate

How can you implement Least Privilege in AWS?

By creating IAM policies that grant only necessary permissions and regularly reviewing them.

beginner

What is a common mistake that violates the Least Privilege Principle?

Giving users or roles full administrator access when they only need limited permissions.

intermediate

How does the Least Privilege Principle help during a security breach?

It limits what an attacker can do if they gain access, reducing potential damage.

What does the Least Privilege Principle ensure in AWS?

A Users have only the permissions they need

B Users have full admin access

C Users can access all AWS services

D Users share passwords

Least Privilege means giving only necessary permissions, not full access.

Which AWS service is primarily used to manage permissions following the Least Privilege Principle?

A AWS IAM

B Amazon S3

C Amazon EC2

D AWS CloudTrail

AWS IAM controls user and role permissions.

What is a best practice to maintain Least Privilege over time?

A Give everyone admin access

B Grant all permissions once and never change

C Regularly review and adjust permissions

D Disable logging

Regular reviews ensure permissions stay minimal and appropriate.

If a user only needs to read files from an S3 bucket, what permission should they get?

A Full S3 access

B S3 read-only access to that bucket

C No permissions

D Write access to the bucket

Read-only access limits actions to only what is needed.

How does Least Privilege help in case of compromised credentials?

A It allows attackers full control

B It disables the account immediately

C It shares credentials with others

D It limits attacker actions to minimal permissions

Minimal permissions reduce damage from compromised accounts.

Explain the Least Privilege Principle and why it is important in AWS security.

Think about giving only what is needed and nothing extra.

Describe how you would implement and maintain Least Privilege for an AWS user.

Focus on creating and updating permissions carefully.