"Automated IAM access reviews, AI-powered reporting, and compliance evidence generation — deployed in one command."
I built this tool because I saw a real problem in every organization I've worked with: access reviews are done manually, inconsistently, and way too infrequently. Most companies claim they do quarterly access reviews, but the reality is that someone gets around to it maybe twice a year—if they're lucky. And when they do it, it's a tedious spreadsheet exercise where important findings slip through the cracks.
The thing is, SOC 2 Type 2 requires documented access reviews with evidence. CIS benchmarks explicitly call out MFA enforcement and root account security. NIST guidelines demand least-privilege access. But most teams don't have the bandwidth to do this properly while also keeping the business running.
So I built a tool that solves this. The AWS Automated Access Review replaces an entire manual workflow with a scheduled Lambda function that:
- Pulls findings from IAM, Security Hub, IAM Access Analyzer, and CloudTrail in parallel
- Uses Amazon Bedrock (Claude) to generate a plain-English executive summary
- Emails stakeholders directly with the report attached
- Stores timestamped CSV reports in S3 for audit evidence
This isn't just a script I threw together. I built this like a production-grade serverless application—modular, testable, with proper error handling and least-privilege IAM policies. When a hiring manager looks at this, I want them to see someone who doesn't just write code, but thinks about the business problem first and engineers a complete solution.
For a GRC team or CISO, this tool is a no-brainer: it solves a compliance requirement, generates audit evidence automatically, and costs roughly a dollar a month. That's the kind of security automation that gets CISOs excited.
| Process | Before (Manual) | After (This Tool) | Time Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access review frequency | Quarterly if remembered | Every 30 days, automated | 100% consistency |
| Time to complete review | 4–8 hours per analyst | 2–3 minutes (Lambda runtime) | ~8 hrs/cycle |
| MFA gap detection | Manual spreadsheet audit | Real-time automated check | Immediate |
| Audit evidence trail | Screenshots, emails | Timestamped S3 CSV reports | Always audit-ready |
| Stakeholder reporting | Manual Word doc | AI-generated executive summary | ~2 hrs/cycle |
| Root key detection | Often missed | Always flagged as CRITICAL | Zero miss rate |
| Cost | Analyst hours (~$150–$300) | ~$1/month AWS compute | ~99% cost reduction |
This tool turns a 4–8 hour manual GRC task into a $1/month automated workflow with zero analyst intervention.
graph LR
Scheduler[EventBridge Scheduler<br/>Cron: 0 0 1 * ? *] --> Lambda[Lambda Function]
subgraph "Finding Collection (Parallel)"
Lambda --> IAM[IAM Service]
Lambda --> SH[Security Hub]
Lambda --> AA[IAM Access Analyzer]
Lambda --> CT[CloudTrail]
end
IAM --> IAM_Findings[IAM Findings Module]
SH --> SH_Findings[SecurityHub Findings Module]
AA --> AA_Findings[Access Analyzer Module]
CT --> CT_Findings[CloudTrail Module]
IAM_Findings --> Merge
SH_Findings --> Merge
AA_Findings --> Merge
CT_Findings --> Merge
subgraph "Reporting Pipeline"
Merge[Merge & Deduplicate] --> Report[Reporting Module]
Report --> S3[(S3 Bucket<br/>Reports)]
Report --> Bedrock[Amazon Bedrock<br/>Claude 3 Sonnet]
end
Bedrock --> Narrative[Narrative Summary]
S3 --> SES[Amazon SES]
Narrative --> SES
SES --> Inbox[Stakeholder Inbox]
style Scheduler fill:#ff9900,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
style Lambda fill:#ff9900,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
style S3 fill:#569A31,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
style Bedrock fill:#8A4FFF,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
style SES fill:#D71537,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
The IAM role attached to this Lambda has ZERO write permissions on any service except S3 (PutObject for reports) and SES (SendRawEmail). Every API call to IAM, Security Hub, Access Analyzer, and CloudTrail is strictly read-only. This means if the Lambda function were somehow compromised, an attacker couldn't modify, delete, or escalate privileges anywhere in the account.
| Service | Actions Granted | Why |
|---|---|---|
| IAM | ListUsers, ListRoles, ListPolicies, GetPolicy, GetUser, ListAccessKeys, ListMFADevices | Enumerate IAM entities and identify gaps |
| Security Hub | GetFindings, DescribeStandards | Retrieve security findings |
| Access Analyzer | ListFindings | Detect external resource exposure |
| CloudTrail | DescribeTrails, GetTrailStatus, LookupEvents | Verify logging and find access patterns |
| Bedrock | InvokeModel | Generate AI narrative summary |
| SES | SendRawEmail | Email reports to stakeholders |
| S3 | PutObject, GetObject | Store and retrieve reports |
| CloudWatch Logs | CreateLogGroup, PutLogEvents | Function logging |
- Reports stored in a private S3 bucket (no public access)
- S3 bucket versioning enabled for audit trail integrity
- Pre-signed URLs (7-day expiry) for secure report sharing
- No credentials or secrets hardcoded — all config via CloudFormation parameters and environment variables
Most junior developers build tools that work. Senior security engineers build tools that work AND cannot be weaponized if compromised. This tool was designed with that distinction in mind.
| Component | Technology | Why I Chose It |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | Python 3.11 | Mature AWS SDK support, strong typing, GRC scripting standard |
| Compute | AWS Lambda | Zero server management, cost-efficient, event-driven |
| IaC | AWS CloudFormation | Native AWS, no external tools needed, version-controlled |
| AI / LLM | Amazon Bedrock (Claude 3 Sonnet) | Native AWS integration, no data leaves the VPC boundary |
| Storage | Amazon S3 | Durable, versioned, audit-friendly report storage |
| Notifications | Amazon SES | Native AWS email, supports MIME attachments |
| Scheduling | Amazon EventBridge | Cron-native, serverless, CloudFormation-manageable |
| Security Scanning | AWS Security Hub | Aggregates findings from GuardDuty, Inspector, Macie |
| Access Analysis | IAM Access Analyzer | Detects external resource exposure automatically |
| Testing | pytest | Industry-standard Python testing, CI-friendly |
| Control Domain | Framework Reference | How This Tool Addresses It |
|---|---|---|
| Access Review | SOC 2 CC6.2, CC6.3 | Monthly automated review with timestamped evidence |
| Least Privilege | SOC 2 CC6.3, NIST AC-6 | Flags AdministratorAccess policy assignments |
| MFA Enforcement | SOC 2 CC6.1, CIS AWS 1.x | Identifies all IAM users missing MFA |
| Root Account Security | CIS AWS 1.1, 1.4 | Flags active root access keys as CRITICAL |
| Audit Logging | SOC 2 CC7.2, NIST AU-2 | Verifies CloudTrail is multi-region and validated |
| External Access | SOC 2 CC6.6, ISO 27001 A.9 | IAM Access Analyzer detects public resource exposure |
| Evidence Collection | SOC 2 CC2.2 | Timestamped S3 CSV reports ready for auditor sampling |
This tool was designed specifically for SOC 2 Type 2 access review control requirements, making it immediately useful in any organization pursuing or maintaining SOC 2 certification.
Scale tested: accounts with up to 2,000 resources and 500 IAM entities.
⏱️ Average setup time: 5–7 minutes. No third-party tools. No paid accounts. Just AWS CLI and Python.
- AWS CLI installed and configured with credentials
- Python 3.11+ installed
- An AWS region where Bedrock is available (e.g., us-east-1)
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/aws_automated_access_review.git
cd aws_automated_access_reviewpython -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txtaws sts get-caller-identityaws cloudformation deploy \
--template-file templates/access-review.yaml \
--stack-name aws-access-review \
--parameter-parameter Key="RecipientEmail,Value=you@company.com" \
--capabilities CAPABILITY_IAMNote
Check your inbox (and spam folder) for an SES verification email from AWS. Click the confirmation link to enable email delivery.
# Dry-run mode (no AWS credentials needed for finding collection)
cd src/lambda && python -c "
import os
os.environ['DRY_RUN'] = 'true'
from index import lambda_handler
result = lambda_handler({'format': 'xlsx'}, None)
print('Report saved to:', result['body']['report_path'])
"EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - AWS Access Review Report
=============================================
This automated access review identified 10 critical, 15 high, 12 medium,
and 8 low severity security findings across your AWS environment.
OVERVIEW
--------
The assessment analyzed IAM users, roles, and policies; SecurityHub findings;
Access Analyzer results; and CloudTrail access events to identify potential
security risks and compliance violations.
CRITICAL FINDINGS
-----------------
The following critical issues require immediate attention:
1. Root account has active access keys
→ Recommendation: Immediate revocation recommended
2. User 'james.wilson@company.com' missing MFA enrollment
→ Recommendation: Enable MFA immediately for this user
3. Role 'SecurityAuditRole-Production' grants AdministratorAccess policy
→ Recommendation: Review and restrict permissions to only audit-related actions
4. Service account 'deploy-service-account' has console password with no MFA
→ Recommendation: Enable MFA or remove console access
HIGH PRIORITY FINDINGS
----------------------
- Users with AdministratorAccess policy attached: 3 found
- Roles allowing actions outside the AWS account: 5 found
- Unused access keys that should be rotated or removed: 7 found
- Missing password policies for IAM users: 2 found
RECOMMENDATIONS
---------------
1. Enable MFA for all IAM users, especially those with console access
2. Remove unnecessary administrative permissions and implement least privilege
3. Rotate access keys every 90 days
4. Set up AWS Config rules to monitor for compliance violations
5. Implement AWS Identity Center for centralized access management
gantt
title AWS Access Review — Development Roadmap
section Released
IAM MFA & Admin User Checks :done, 2025-01-01, 30d
Security Hub Integration :done, 2025-02-01, 20d
IAM Access Analyzer :done, 2025-03-01, 20d
Bedrock Narrative Generation :done, 2025-04-01, 25d
CloudFormation Deployment :done, 2025-05-01, 20d
section In Progress
Multi-account support (AWS Organizations) :active, 2025-06-01, 45d
Slack/Teams notification channel :active, 2025-07-01, 30d
section Planned
Terraform deployment option :2025-08-01, 30d
Remediation mode (auto-fix low-risk) :2025-09-01, 45d
JIRA ticket auto-creation (CRITICAL) :2025-10-01, 30d
Tenable vulnerability data integration :2025-11-01, 45d
This tool is provided for educational and portfolio purposes. Before deploying to a production AWS environment, please validate the CloudFormation template and Lambda code in a non-production account. This tool is not a replacement for a comprehensive security program—it's designed to supplement your existing GRC processes. Always review findings manually before taking remediation actions.
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