README.md

AWS-IAM-Cloud-Security

Implemented AWS IAM policies to enforce least privilege access between development and production EC2 environments using resource tags.

AWS Cloud Security with IAM

📌 Project Overview

This project demonstrates how AWS IAM can be used to control access to cloud resources using least privilege principles. I created 2 separate production and development EC2 environments and restricted user access using IAM policies with resource based conditions.

🛠️ Services & Tools Used

• AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)

• Amazon EC2

• IAM Policies (JSON)

• IAM Users & User Groups

• Resource Tagging

🎯 Project Goals

• Separate production and development environments

• Restrict intern access to development resources only

• Prevent accidental changes to production infrastructure

• Practice real-world cloud security controls

⚙️ Architecture Overview

• Two EC2 instances:

• Production EC2 (Env = production)

• Development EC2 (Env = development)

• Custom IAM policy using tag based conditions

• IAM user group for interns

• IAM user assigned to intern group

• AWS account alias for simplified login

📜 IAM Policy (JSON)

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "ec2:*",
      "Resource": "*",
      "Condition": {
        "StringEquals": {
          "ec2:ResourceTag/Env": "development"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "ec2:Describe*",
      "Resource": "*"
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Deny",
      "Action": [
        "ec2:DeleteTags",
        "ec2:CreateTags"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

🧪 Testing & Validation

• Logged in as IAM intern user

• Attempted to stop production EC2 instance → ❌ Access denied

• Successfully stopped development EC2 instance → ✅ Allowed

• Verified IAM permissions worked as intended

🔐 Security Concepts Demonstrated

• Least privilege access

• Environment isolation (dev vs prod)

• Tag-based access control

• IAM user & group management

• Policy testing and validation