AWS Service Control Policies (SCP), the why, the what and the how.
Blog post from Stream.Security
AWS Service Control Policies (SCPs) are essential tools for organizations to maintain security baselines across their AWS cloud infrastructure by setting fine-grained permissions and restrictions. These policies operate at the AWS Organizations level and work alongside IAM policies to ensure users and roles within an account cannot exceed specified permissions, thereby supporting compliance and preventing data breaches. The article details the steps to implement SCPs, including setting up AWS Organizations, organizing accounts into Organizational Units (OUs), creating and attaching SCPs, and regularly monitoring and adjusting policies to align with evolving security requirements. It also addresses common challenges in troubleshooting IAM permissions when SCPs are involved, such as understanding policy intersections and inherited permissions, and suggests using the Lightlytics platform to enhance visibility and manage SCPs effectively. Practical examples of SCP usage are provided, illustrating how specific policies can deny access to certain services, restrict access to specific regions, and enforce resource tagging, among other security measures.