gabrielmoreira Access Review
Implement periodic access review processes for AWS IAM, GitHub, Okta, and other identity providers, including automated reporting, certification workflows, and unused permission detection.
When to Use
- Conducting quarterly or annual access reviews for compliance (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS, ISO 27001)
- Identifying and removing stale accounts and unused credentials
- Certifying that current access levels match job responsibilities
- Detecting excessive privileges and dormant service accounts
- Generating evidence for auditor requests on access governance
Access Review Process
access_review_workflow:
1_scope:
actions:
- Define systems in scope for the review cycle
- Identify review owners (managers, system owners)
- Set review timeline and deadlines
- Generate access inventory from all identity sources
frequency:
privileged_access: Quarterly
standard_access: Semi-annually
service_accounts: Quarterly
api_keys: Monthly
2_extract:
actions:
- Pull current access data from all systems
- Correlate identities across platforms (SSO mapping)
- Enrich with last login and activity data
- Flag accounts for review (inactive, over-privileged, orphaned)
3_review:
actions:
- Assign review items to appropriate managers
- Manager certifies each user's access (approve/revoke/modify)
- Risk-based prioritization (privileged users reviewed first)
- Escalate non-responses after deadline
decisions:
approve: "Access is appropriate for current role"
modify: "Access needs adjustment (reduce/change scope)"
revoke: "Access is no longer needed"
4_remediate:
actions:
- Revoke access flagged for removal
- Modify access as directed by reviewers
- Document exceptions with justification
- Confirm changes with system owners
sla:
revocations: "Complete within 5 business days of decision"
modifications: "Complete within 10 business days"
exceptions: "Approved by security team, documented, time-limited"
5_report:
actions:
- Generate completion metrics (% reviewed, % on time)
- Document all decisions and actions taken
- Archive evidence for compliance audits
- Identify process improvements for next cycle
AWS IAM Access Review Scripts
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# aws-iam-review.sh - Comprehensive IAM access review report
OUTPUT_DIR="./access-review/$(date +%Y-%m)"
mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"
echo "=== AWS IAM Access Review ==="
# Generate credential report
aws iam generate-credential-report > /dev/null
sleep 10
aws iam get-credential-report --output text --query Content | \
base64 -d > "$OUTPUT_DIR/credential-report.csv"
echo "--- Users Without MFA ---"
aws iam get-credential-report --output text --query Content | base64 -d | \
awk -F, 'NR>1 && $4=="true" && $8=="false" {print $1}' | \
tee "$OUTPUT_DIR/users-without-mfa.txt"
echo "--- Inactive Users (90+ days) ---"
THRESHOLD=$(date -d '90 days ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S 2>/dev/null || date -v-90d +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S)
aws iam get-credential-report --output text --query Content | base64 -d | \
awk -F, -v t="$THRESHOLD" 'NR>1 && $5!="N/A" && $5!="no_information" && $5<t {
print $1","$5
}' | tee "$OUTPUT_DIR/inactive-users.csv"
echo "--- Stale Access Keys (90+ days unused) ---"
for user in $(aws iam list-users --query 'Users[*].UserName' --output text); do
for key_id in $(aws iam list-access-keys --user-name "$user" \
--query 'AccessKeyMetadata[?Status==`Active`].AccessKeyId' --output text); do
last_used=$(aws iam get-access-key-last-used --access-key-id "$key_id" \
--query 'AccessKeyLastUsed.LastUsedDate' --output text)
if [ "$last_used" = "None" ] || [ "$last_used" \< "$THRESHOLD" ]; then
echo "$user,$key_id,$last_used"
fi
done
done | tee "$OUTPUT_DIR/stale-access-keys.csv"
echo "--- Users With Admin Policies ---"
for user in $(aws iam list-users --query 'Users[*].UserName' --output text); do
policies=$(aws iam list-attached-user-policies --user-name "$user" \
--query 'AttachedPolicies[*].PolicyName' --output text)
if echo "$policies" | grep -qi "admin\|fullaccess"; then
groups=$(aws iam list-groups-for-user --user-name "$user" \
--query 'Groups[*].GroupName' --output text)
echo "$user|policies:$policies|groups:$groups"
fi
done | tee "$OUTPUT_DIR/admin-users.txt"
echo "--- IAM Roles With Cross-Account Trust ---"
for role in $(aws iam list-roles --query 'Roles[*].RoleName' --output text); do
trust=$(aws iam get-role --role-name "$role" \
--query 'Role.AssumeRolePolicyDocument' --output json 2>/dev/null)
if echo "$trust" | grep -q '"AWS"' && echo "$trust" | grep -qv "$(aws sts get-caller-identity --query Account --output text)"; then
echo "$role: $trust" | jq -c '.Statement[].Principal'
fi
done | tee "$OUTPUT_DIR/cross-account-roles.txt"
echo "--- Service Accounts (Programmatic Only) ---"
aws iam get-credential-report --output text --query Content | base64 -d | \
awk -F, 'NR>1 && $4=="false" && $9!="N/A" {print $1","$11","$16}' | \
tee "$OUTPUT_DIR/service-accounts.csv"
echo "Report generated in $OUTPUT_DIR"
GitHub Access Review
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# github-access-review.sh - GitHub organization access audit
ORG="your-org"
OUTPUT_DIR="./access-review/github/$(date +%Y-%m)"
mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"
echo "=== GitHub Organization Access Review ==="
echo "--- Organization Members ---"
gh api orgs/$ORG/members --paginate \
--jq '.[] | [.login, .site_admin] | @csv' \
> "$OUTPUT_DIR/org-members.csv"
echo "--- Organization Owners ---"
gh api "orgs/$ORG/members?role=admin" --paginate \
--jq '.[] | .login' \
> "$OUTPUT_DIR/org-owners.txt"
echo "--- Outside Collaborators ---"
gh api orgs/$ORG/outside_collaborators --paginate \
--jq '.[] | .login' \
> "$OUTPUT_DIR/outside-collaborators.txt"
echo "--- Repository Access Per Repo ---"
for repo in $(gh repo list $ORG --json name -q '.[].name' --limit 500); do
echo "Repo: $repo"
gh api "repos/$ORG/$repo/collaborators" --paginate \
--jq '.[] | [.login, .role_name] | @csv' \
> "$OUTPUT_DIR/repo-$repo-access.csv" 2>/dev/null
done
echo "--- Team Memberships ---"
for team in $(gh api orgs/$ORG/teams --paginate --jq '.[].slug'); do
echo "Team: $team"
gh api "orgs/$ORG/teams/$team/members" --paginate \
--jq '.[] | .login' \
> "$OUTPUT_DIR/team-$team-members.txt"
done
echo "--- Pending Invitations ---"
gh api orgs/$ORG/invitations --paginate \
--jq '.[] | [.login, .email, .role, .created_at] | @csv' \
> "$OUTPUT_DIR/pending-invitations.csv"
echo "--- Deploy Keys ---"
for repo in $(gh repo list $ORG --json name -q '.[].name' --limit 500); do
keys=$(gh api "repos/$ORG/$repo/keys" --jq '.[].title' 2>/dev/null)
if [ -n "$keys" ]; then
echo "$repo: $keys"
fi
done > "$OUTPUT_DIR/deploy-keys.txt"
echo "--- Branch Protection Rules ---"
for repo in $(gh repo list $ORG --json name -q '.[].name' --limit 500); do
protection=$(gh api "repos/$ORG/$repo/branches/main/protection" 2>/dev/null)
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
echo "$repo: protected"
echo "$protection" | jq '{required_reviews: .required_pull_request_reviews.required_approving_review_count, dismiss_stale: .required_pull_request_reviews.dismiss_stale_reviews}' \
> "$OUTPUT_DIR/branch-protection-$repo.json"
else
echo "$repo: NOT protected" >> "$OUTPUT_DIR/unprotected-repos.txt"
fi
done
echo "Report generated in $OUTPUT_DIR"
Okta Access Review
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# okta-access-review.sh - Okta user and application access audit
# Requires OKTA_DOMAIN and OKTA_API_TOKEN environment variables
OUTPUT_DIR="./access-review/okta/$(date +%Y-%m)"
mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"
BASE_URL="https://${OKTA_DOMAIN}/api/v1"
echo "=== Okta Access Review ==="
echo "--- Active Users ---"
curl -s -H "Authorization: SSWS $OKTA_API_TOKEN" \
"$BASE_URL/users?filter=status+eq+%22ACTIVE%22&limit=200" | \
jq -r '.[] | [.profile.email, .profile.firstName, .profile.lastName, .lastLogin, .created] | @csv' \
> "$OUTPUT_DIR/active-users.csv"
echo "--- Suspended/Deprovisioned Users ---"
for status in SUSPENDED DEPROVISIONED; do
curl -s -H "Authorization: SSWS $OKTA_API_TOKEN" \
"$BASE_URL/users?filter=status+eq+%22$status%22&limit=200" | \
jq -r '.[] | [.profile.email, .status, .statusChanged] | @csv'
done > "$OUTPUT_DIR/inactive-users.csv"
echo "--- Users Without MFA Enrolled ---"
curl -s -H "Authorization: SSWS $OKTA_API_TOKEN" \
"$BASE_URL/users?limit=200" | \
jq -r '.[] | .id' | while read -r uid; do
factors=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: SSWS $OKTA_API_TOKEN" \
"$BASE_URL/users/$uid/factors" | jq 'length')
if [ "$factors" -eq 0 ]; then
curl -s -H "Authorization: SSWS $OKTA_API_TOKEN" \
"$BASE_URL/users/$uid" | jq -r '.profile.email'
fi
done > "$OUTPUT_DIR/users-without-mfa.txt"
echo "--- Application Assignments ---"
curl -s -H "Authorization: SSWS $OKTA_API_TOKEN" \
"$BASE_URL/apps?limit=200" | \
jq -r '.[] | [.id, .label, .status] | @csv' | while IFS=, read -r app_id app_name status; do
echo "App: $app_name"
curl -s -H "Authorization: SSWS $OKTA_API_TOKEN" \
"$BASE_URL/apps/$app_id/users?limit=200" | \
jq -r '.[] | [.credentials.userName // .profile.email, .status] | @csv'
done > "$OUTPUT_DIR/app-assignments.csv"
echo "--- Admin Role Assignments ---"
curl -s -H "Authorization: SSWS $OKTA_API_TOKEN" \
"$BASE_URL/users?limit=200" | \
jq -r '.[] | .id' | while read -r uid; do
roles=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: SSWS $OKTA_API_TOKEN" \
"$BASE_URL/users/$uid/roles" | jq -r '.[].type' 2>/dev/null)
if [ -n "$roles" ]; then
email=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: SSWS $OKTA_API_TOKEN" \
"$BASE_URL/users/$uid" | jq -r '.profile.email')
echo "$email: $roles"
fi
done > "$OUTPUT_DIR/admin-roles.txt"
echo "Report generated in $OUTPUT_DIR"
Unused Permission Detection
"""
Detect unused IAM permissions using CloudTrail and IAM Access Analyzer.
Generates recommendations for right-sizing access.
"""
import boto3
import json
import time
from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
def analyze_iam_usage(days_lookback=90):
"""Analyze IAM user and role activity against granted permissions."""
iam = boto3.client("iam")
report = {
"generated_at": datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
"lookback_days": days_lookback,
"findings": [],
}
users = iam.list_users()["Users"]
for user in users:
username = user["UserName"]
# Get service last accessed data
job_id = iam.generate_service_last_accessed_details(
Arn=user["Arn"]
)["JobId"]
while True:
result = iam.get_service_last_accessed_details(JobId=job_id)
if result["JobStatus"] == "COMPLETED":
break
time.sleep(2)
threshold = datetime.now(timezone.utc) - timedelta(days=days_lookback)
unused_services = []
for service in result["ServicesLastAccessed"]:
last_accessed = service.get("LastAuthenticated")
if last_accessed is None or last_accessed < threshold:
unused_services.append({
"service": service["ServiceNamespace"],
"last_accessed": str(last_accessed) if last_accessed else "Never",
})
if unused_services:
report["findings"].append({
"type": "unused_permissions",
"user": username,
"arn": user["Arn"],
"unused_service_count": len(unused_services),
"unused_services": unused_services[:10],
"recommendation": "Review and remove unused service permissions",
})
return report
def detect_overprivileged_roles():
"""Use IAM Access Analyzer to find overprivileged roles."""
analyzer = boto3.client("accessanalyzer")
findings = analyzer.list_findings(
analyzerArn="arn:aws:access-analyzer:us-east-1:123456789012:analyzer/org-analyzer",
filter={
"status": {"eq": ["ACTIVE"]},
"resourceType": {"eq": ["AWS::IAM::Role"]},
},
)
return [
{
"resource": f["resource"],
"resource_type": f["resourceType"],
"condition": f.get("condition", {}),
"principal": f.get("principal", {}),
"action": f.get("action", []),
"created_at": str(f["createdAt"]),
}
for f in findings.get("findings", [])
]
Certification Workflow Automation
# GitHub Actions - Automated access review reminder and tracking
name: Quarterly Access Review
on:
schedule:
- cron: '0 9 1 1,4,7,10 *' # First day of each quarter
workflow_dispatch:
jobs:
generate-review:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Generate access reports
env:
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.AUDIT_AWS_KEY }}
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: ${{ secrets.AUDIT_AWS_SECRET }}
OKTA_DOMAIN: ${{ secrets.OKTA_DOMAIN }}
OKTA_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.OKTA_API_TOKEN }}
run: |
bash scripts/aws-iam-review.sh
bash scripts/github-access-review.sh
bash scripts/okta-access-review.sh
- name: Create review issue
env:
GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
run: |
QUARTER="Q$(( ($(date +%-m) - 1) / 3 + 1 )) $(date +%Y)"
MFA_MISSING=$(wc -l < access-review/$(date +%Y-%m)/users-without-mfa.txt)
INACTIVE=$(wc -l < access-review/$(date +%Y-%m)/inactive-users.csv)
STALE_KEYS=$(wc -l < access-review/$(date +%Y-%m)/stale-access-keys.csv)
gh issue create \
--title "Access Review - $QUARTER" \
--label "compliance,access-review" \
--body "## Quarterly Access Review - $QUARTER
### Summary
- Users without MFA: **$MFA_MISSING**
- Inactive users (90+ days): **$INACTIVE**
- Stale access keys: **$STALE_KEYS**
### Required Actions
- [ ] Review and disable inactive users
- [ ] Enforce MFA for non-compliant users
- [ ] Rotate or deactivate stale access keys
- [ ] Review admin/privileged access assignments
- [ ] Review outside collaborators on GitHub
- [ ] Certify remaining access is appropriate
- [ ] Document exceptions with justification
### Deadline
Complete within 30 days."
- name: Upload reports as artifact
uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
with:
name: access-review-reports
path: access-review/
retention-days: 365
Access Review Checklist
access_review_checklist:
preparation:
- [ ] Define scope (systems, user populations, review period)
- [ ] Assign review owners for each system
- [ ] Extract current access data from all identity sources
- [ ] Correlate identities across platforms via SSO mapping
- [ ] Generate review packages for each manager
execution:
- [ ] Managers notified with review assignments and deadline
- [ ] Privileged access reviewed first (admin, root, service accounts)
- [ ] Each user's access certified (approve, modify, or revoke)
- [ ] Inactive accounts flagged for disable/removal
- [ ] Stale credentials (keys, tokens) flagged for rotation
- [ ] Outside collaborators and contractors verified
- [ ] Service account ownership confirmed
remediation:
- [ ] Revocations executed within SLA (5 business days)
- [ ] Access modifications completed within SLA (10 business days)
- [ ] Exceptions documented with business justification
- [ ] Exception approvals recorded from security team
- [ ] Changes verified in target systems
reporting:
- [ ] Review completion rate documented (target: 100%)
- [ ] Non-response escalations documented
- [ ] Remediation actions summarized
- [ ] Exception register updated
- [ ] Evidence archived for audit (retained 3+ years)
- [ ] Metrics compared to prior review cycle
Best Practices
- Automate access data extraction to eliminate manual data gathering and reduce errors
- Integrate access review with HR systems to automatically flag accounts for departed employees
- Use risk-based review frequency: privileged access quarterly, standard access semi-annually
- Provide managers with clear context: show last login date, permissions, and role to inform decisions
- Set firm deadlines with escalation for non-response (no certification = automatic revocation)
- Detect and eliminate orphaned accounts from contractors, former employees, and decommissioned services
- Review service accounts and API keys alongside human accounts to prevent credential sprawl
- Document all exceptions with business justification, approver, and expiration date
- Track review metrics over time: completion rates, revocation rates, time to remediate
- Archive all access review evidence for a minimum of 3 years for audit purposes