aws testing iam permissions

Testing AWS IAM permissions should be done before committing them to production. This allows us to validate that a policy works as expected.

IAM policy simulator

The IAM policy simulator available in AWS allows users to test policies already attached to existing users.

AWS' policy simulator allows users to troubleshoot IAM related issues.

Link to the policy simulator

Example screen of the IAM policy simulator:

Using the policy simulator:

1. Selection of a service within the policy simulator allows you to check for permissions

against a specific resource.

1. You're then able to select a specific action for the user to run within the

scope of the simulation.

1. Review the results of the simulation that the user ran - the permissions will be displayed

as either denied or allowed.

IAM exam tips

• IAM policy simulator
  • Test IAM permissions before committing them to production
  • Validate that the policy you've created works as expected
  • You can test policies attached to user in order to troubleshoot whether or not things work as expected