An identity principal possesses specific, highly privileged permissions, such as the ability to pass roles or impersonate service accounts, that allow it to leverage the permissions of a different, more privileged role. Even without being able to directly assume the target role, the principal can attach it to a new resource they control and then use that resource to perform unauthorized actions.
Privilege Escalation via Indirect Role Usage
CCC.IAM.TH08
Related Capabilities
| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CCC.IAM.CP02 | IAM Users | The service can create, list, modify and delete user identities, each representing a single person or application that authenticates directly to the provider's identity platform. |
| CCC.IAM.CP06 | IAM Roles and Service Principals | The service can create, list, modify and delete roles or service principals, which are identities that applications and services use to access resources without a human user. |
| CCC.IAM.CP15 | Role Assumption and Delegation | The service can allow an authenticated principal to temporarily assume another role or impersonate a service identity, obtaining that identity's permissions for a limited session. |
Related Controls
| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CCC.IAM.CN03 | Restrict Role Assumption / Delegation | Limit which principals can assume a role or impersonate a service identity, and which roles a principal may pass to a resource, to only those required. This prevents unintended cross-account or public access by securing the "who can act as this identity" boundary. |