# Detecting AWS Iam Privilege Escalation

> Detect AWS IAM privilege escalation paths using boto3 and Cloudsplaining policy analysis to identify overly permissive policies, dangerous permission combinations, and least-privilege violations

- Skill: `thedixitjain/detecting-aws-iam-privilege-escalation` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add thedixitjain/detecting-aws-iam-privilege-escalation`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/thedixitjain/detecting-aws-iam-privilege-escalation/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: thedixitjain (https://skillmd.com/u/thedixitjain)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/thedixitjain/detecting-aws-iam-privilege-escalation

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# Detecting AWS IAM Privilege Escalation

## Overview

This skill uses boto3 and Cloudsplaining-style analysis to identify IAM privilege escalation paths in AWS accounts. It downloads the account authorization details, analyzes each policy for dangerous permission combinations (iam:PassRole + lambda:CreateFunction, iam:CreatePolicyVersion, sts:AssumeRole), and flags policies that violate least-privilege principles.


## When to Use

- When investigating security incidents that require detecting aws iam privilege escalation
- When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
- When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
- When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques

## Prerequisites

- Python 3.8+ with boto3 library
- AWS credentials with IAM read-only access (iam:GetAccountAuthorizationDetails)
- Optional: cloudsplaining Python package for HTML report generation

## Steps

1. **Download IAM Authorization Details** — Call iam:GetAccountAuthorizationDetails to retrieve all users, groups, roles, and policies
2. **Analyze Policies for Privilege Escalation** — Check each policy for known escalation permission combinations
3. **Identify Wildcard Resource Policies** — Flag policies using Resource: "*" with dangerous actions
4. **Map Principal-to-Policy Relationships** — Build a graph of which principals can access which escalation paths
5. **Score and Prioritize Findings** — Rank findings by severity based on escalation vector type
6. **Generate Report** — Produce structured JSON report with remediation guidance

## Expected Output

- JSON report of privilege escalation findings with severity scores
- List of dangerous permission combinations per principal
- Wildcard resource policy audit results
- Remediation recommendations for each finding

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**Source:** [`mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills`](https://github.com/mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills) → `skills/detecting-aws-iam-privilege-escalation/SKILL.md`