AWS IAM Access Analyzer

Overview

AWS IAM Access Analyzer is an AWS permissions analysis service for teams working to reduce access to least privilege. It suits security teams reviewing AWS access and compliance teams demonstrating access-control requirements. Its broad set of AWS-focused checks and policy tools are useful, though some analysis incurs usage-based charges.

Key features

Findings across resource access

The service continuously checks for new or changed resource permissions that expose AWS resources publicly or across accounts. Internal findings identify users and roles with access to S3, DynamoDB, or RDS; unused-access findings can surface dormant roles, IAM user keys or passwords, services, and actions. Last-accessed data for services and actions from select AWS services adds context to review decisions.

This range helps teams investigate both exposure and stale permissions, but internal analysis is limited to the named resource types. Internal and unused analysis also have separate usage charges, so organizations should consider the monitored resources and identities before enabling them broadly.

Policy work and integrations

Access activity captured in CloudTrail logs can be turned into fine-grained IAM policies. Validation checks policies for security warnings, errors, general warnings, and best-practice suggestions. Custom policy checks can run in CI/CD pipelines before deployment, while Security Hub CSPM and EventBridge support findings analysis and notification workflows.

Automated reasoning applies mathematical logic to assess AWS permissions. That gives the service a formal basis for evaluating permissions, but it remains centered on AWS policy and resource access rather than general-purpose identity management.

Pricing

The core capabilities have no additional charge: IAM policy validation, policy generation, and external access analysis are each 0.00 USD per free. That makes policy review and public or cross-account exposure monitoring a straightforward fit for AWS teams seeking a no-charge starting point.

Custom policy checks are 0.00 USD per month, billed at $0.0020 per API call. This suits teams that need pipeline checks, but costs rise with each check run. The unused access analyzer is 0.20 USD per month, billed at $0.20 per IAM role or IAM user per month; one analyzer covers all Regions in a partition because roles and users are global. The internal access analyzer is 9.00 USD per month, billed at $9.00 per resource monitored per Region per month, for teams monitoring business-critical resources within an AWS organization. These charges make targeted use more compelling than indiscriminate monitoring.

Platforms

Access Analyzer is a SaaS service for AWS, with web and API platforms plus Android and iOS listed. Policy simulation is supported. Identity-related capabilities include SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, and OIDC, FIDO2 authenticators, virtual authenticator apps, and RADIUS MFA, as well as directory sync and lifecycle provisioning. Adaptive access and adaptive access policies are not supported.

Who it's for

Choose Access Analyzer if your organization operates AWS resources and needs to review exposure, stale access, or policy quality. Its findings and policy generation are particularly relevant to security teams refining permissions; compliance teams can use it to demonstrate access-control audit requirements. It is less suitable as a standalone choice for organizations seeking broad identity management or adaptive access controls.

Pros and cons

• Pros: External access analysis, policy validation, and policy generation carry no additional charge, giving AWS teams several useful permission controls without a per-resource fee.
• Pros: Findings cover external, selected internal, and unused access, while integrations can route findings into existing analysis and notification workflows.
• Cons: Internal analysis is limited to S3, DynamoDB, and RDS resources, and costs $9.00 per resource monitored per Region per month.
• Cons: Custom checks and unused-access analysis add usage-based costs, and adaptive access is not supported.

Alternatives

For broader cloud-security options, consider these alternatives:

• CrowdStrike Falcon Surface may suit readers seeking a paid product with a free trial and Linux, macOS, web, and Windows platforms; its Falcon Exposure Management plan requires scheduling a demo.
• C3M Cloud Control offers a free cloud security assessment for up to 2 cloud accounts and a free trial, making it worth considering for a small initial assessment.
• Qualys TotalCloud has a free license with limited API calls for control evaluation and a free trial, which may fit a limited evaluation before a paid subscription.
• Rapid7 Surface Command is another paid option with a free trial and API, desktop, and web platforms.
• SentinelOne Singularity Cloud Security is a paid option for readers who want Android, iOS, web, and API platforms; its listed plans are billed per endpoint.
• Sysdig Secure bases licensing on the number of hosts in a customer's environment, including compute instances for CSPM.
• FortiCNAPP offers Standard plans with one- or three-year terms and entitlement per vCPU.
• Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud API Security is another alternative.

Readers comparing broader categories can also browse Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management Software, Identity and Access Management Software, and Single Sign-On Software.

Verdict

AWS IAM Access Analyzer is a strong fit for AWS organizations that want to inspect permissions and improve policies, especially when external findings and validation are the priorities. Choose it for its AWS-specific access coverage and no-additional-charge policy tools; look elsewhere if you need adaptive access, broader identity management, or cannot accommodate usage-based charges for deeper analysis.