---
title: Group with privilege escalation by actions 'iam:PutRolePolicy'
description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring.
breadcrumbs: >-
  Docs > Datadog Security > Code Security > Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
  Security > IaC Security Rules > Group with privilege escalation by actions
  'iam:PutRolePolicy'
---

# Group with privilege escalation by actions 'iam:PutRolePolicy'

{% callout %}
# Important note for users on the following Datadog sites: app.ddog-gov.com, us2.ddog-gov.com

{% alert level="danger" %}
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## Metadata{% #metadata %}

**Id:** `terraform-aws-group-with-privilege-escalation-by-actions-iam-putrolepolicy` 

**Provider:** AWS

**Platform:** Terraform

**Severity:** Medium

**Category:** Access Control

#### Learn More{% #learn-more %}

- [Provider Reference](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/resources/iam_group_policy#policy)

### Description{% #description %}

This check looks for AWS IAM groups with policies that allow the `iam:PutRolePolicy` action on all resources (`"Resource": "*"`) in Terraform code. Granting this privilege means members of the group can attach any policy to any IAM role in the account, enabling easy privilege escalation or the creation of backdoors. If left unaddressed, attackers or unprivileged users could use this access to gain administrative permissions or compromise critical resources, leading to severe security risks.

## Compliant Code Examples{% #compliant-code-examples %}

```terraform
resource "aws_iam_user" "cosmic2" {
  name = "cosmic2"
}

resource "aws_iam_user_policy" "inline_policy_run_instances2" {
  name = "inline_policy_run_instances"
  user = aws_iam_user.cosmic2.name

  policy = jsonencode({
    Version = "2012-10-17"
    Statement = [
      {
        Action = [
          "ec2:Describe*",
        ]
        Effect   = "Allow"
        Resource = "*"
      },
    ]
  })
}
```

## Non-Compliant Code Examples{% #non-compliant-code-examples %}

```terraform
resource "aws_iam_group" "cosmic" {
  name = "cosmic"
}

resource "aws_iam_group_policy" "test_inline_policy" {
  name = "test_inline_policy"
  group = aws_iam_group.cosmic.name

  policy = jsonencode({
    Version = "2012-10-17"
    Statement = [
      {
        Action = [
          "iam:PutRolePolicy",
        ]
        Effect   = "Allow"
        Resource = "*"
      },
    ]
  })
}
```