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العربيةRemove user permissions boundary
Can remove the permissions boundary capping a user.
Grants escalation on its own.
iam:DeleteUserPermissionsBoundaryOn its own, iam:DeleteUserPermissionsBoundary can remove the permissions boundary capping a user. On a wide resource scope that alone reaches administrator access.
Why it is dangerous
A principal can call iam:DeleteUserPermissionsBoundary on the user, removing the boundary that constrains it and unlocking whatever its identity policies already grant.
In MITRE ATT&CK terms this maps to T1548, Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism, under the privilege escalation tactic. AWS records it in CloudTrail as DeleteUserPermissionsBoundary. The call shows up in CloudTrail but blends into normal administration, so it needs a rule to stand out.
Detection
DeleteUserPermissionsBoundaryPrerequisites
iam:DeleteUserPermissionsBoundary on the user, and the user has a capping boundary.
MITRE ATT&CK
T1548 · Abuse Elevation Control MechanismTactic
Privilege Escalation
A control that would remove it: Remove iam:DeleteUserPermissionsBoundary from the principal; protect boundary changes with SCP and alarms.
Whether to apply it depends on how the permission is used in your environment, so it is a business decision rather than an automatic fix. The same permission can be load-bearing in one account and pure risk in another.
Pathbreak confirms whether this path resolves in your account, ranks it against the others by how much it opens up, and uses your threat model and business context to show which paths are worth cutting.
Questions
What does iam:DeleteUserPermissionsBoundary allow?
Can remove the permissions boundary capping a user.
Can iam:DeleteUserPermissionsBoundary escalate privileges on its own?
Yes. Held on a broad enough resource it reaches administrator access with no other permission.
How is remove user permissions boundary detected?
Watch for DeleteUserPermissionsBoundary in CloudTrail. The call shows up in CloudTrail but blends into normal administration, so it needs a rule to stand out.
How do you break this path?
A control that would remove it is: Remove iam:DeleteUserPermissionsBoundary from the principal; protect boundary changes with SCP and alarms. Whether to apply it depends on how the permission is used in your account, so it is a business decision rather than an automatic fix.
Which MITRE ATT&CK technique is this?
T1548, Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism, under the privilege escalation tactic.
Related paths
References
Find this in your own account
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