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Interview question · Identity, OAuth & Access Control

In cloud IAM, how do privilege escalation paths form, and how do you find and close them?

Escalation rarely needs an admin permission, just a permission that leads to one. The scored answer names the common paths, finds them as a graph, and removes the edges that matter.

mediumEssentialNewPreparation tags: Amazon, Google, MicrosoftUpdated Nov 2026

Escalation rarely needs an admin permission, just a permission that leads to one. The scored answer names the common paths, finds them as a graph, and removes the edges that matter.

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  2. 02 Explain the mechanism and choose a control.
  3. 03 Name a condition that would change your decision.

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What if · the follow-ups in this answer

The answer works through 6 follow-ups like an interviewer would

A Lambda function that resizes images has an IAM role with s3:* on all buckets, and the account has many similar broad roles.

  1. What is the risk with this role?
  2. What should the role allow?
  3. How do escalation paths form in cloud IAM?
  4. How do you find escalation paths across the account?
  5. How do you keep roles tight over time?
  6. How would you fix the account?

Each rung has a nudge, a model answer, the principle that carries over and the weak answer to avoid. Premium opens every answer and ladder.

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