type: attack-pattern
spec_version: 2.1
id: attack-pattern--2dbbdcd5-92cf-44c0-aea2-fe24783a6bc3
created: 2020-01-19T16:59:45.362Z
created_by_ref: identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5
revoked: no
external_references: source_name: mitre-attack
url: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1098/003
external_id: T1098.003
source_name: Expel AWS Attacker
description:  Brian Bahtiarian, David Blanton, Britton Manahan and Kyle Pellett. (2022, April 5). Incident report: From CLI to console, chasing an attacker in AWS. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
url: https://expel.com/blog/incident-report-from-cli-to-console-chasing-an-attacker-in-aws/
source_name: Microsoft O365 Admin Roles
description: Ako-Adjei, K., Dickhaus, M., Baumgartner, P., Faigel, D., et. al.. (2019, October 8). About admin roles. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
url: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/admin/add-users/about-admin-roles?view=o365-worldwide
source_name: AWS IAM Policies and Permissions
description: AWS. (n.d.). Policies and permissions in IAM. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
url: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies.html
source_name: Google Cloud IAM Policies
description: Google Cloud. (2022, March 31). Understanding policies. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
url: https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/policies
source_name: Invictus IR DangerDev 2024
description: Invictus Incident Response. (2024, January 31). The curious case of DangerDev@protonmail.me. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
url: https://www.invictus-ir.com/news/the-curious-case-of-dangerdev-protonmail-me
source_name: Microsoft Support O365 Add Another Admin, October 2019
description: Microsoft. (n.d.). Add Another Admin. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
url: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/add-another-admin-f693489f-9f55-4bd0-a637-a81ce93de22d
source_name: Rhino Security Labs AWS Privilege Escalation
description: Spencer Gietzen. (n.d.). AWS IAM Privilege Escalation – Methods and Mitigation. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
url: https://rhinosecuritylabs.com/aws/aws-privilege-escalation-methods-mitigation/
object_marking_refs: marking-definition--fa42a846-8d90-4e51-bc29-71d5b4802168
modified: 2025-10-24T17:48:35.082Z
name: Additional Cloud Roles
description: An adversary may add additional roles or permissions to an adversary-controlled cloud account to maintain persistent access to a tenant. For example, adversaries may update IAM policies in cloud-based environments or add a new global administrator in Office 365 environments.(Citation: AWS IAM Policies and Permissions)(Citation: Google Cloud IAM Policies)(Citation: Microsoft Support O365 Add Another Admin, October 2019)(Citation: Microsoft O365 Admin Roles) With sufficient permissions, a compromised account can gain almost unlimited access to data and settings (including the ability to reset the passwords of other admins).(Citation: Expel AWS Attacker)
(Citation: Microsoft O365 Admin Roles) 

This account modification may immediately follow [Create Account](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1136) or other malicious account activity. Adversaries may also modify existing [Valid Accounts](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1078) that they have compromised. This could lead to privilege escalation, particularly if the roles added allow for lateral movement to additional accounts.

For example, in AWS environments, an adversary with appropriate permissions may be able to use the CreatePolicyVersion API to define a new version of an IAM policy or the AttachUserPolicy API to attach an IAM policy with additional or distinct permissions to a compromised user account.(Citation: Rhino Security Labs AWS Privilege Escalation)

In some cases, adversaries may add roles to adversary-controlled accounts outside the victim cloud tenant. This allows these external accounts to perform actions inside the victim tenant without requiring the adversary to [Create Account](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1136) or modify a victim-owned account.(Citation: Invictus IR DangerDev 2024)
kill_chain_phases: kill_chain_name: mitre-attack
phase_name: persistence
kill_chain_name: mitre-attack
phase_name: privilege-escalation
x_mitre_attack_spec_version: 3.2.0
x_mitre_contributors: Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC)
Alex Parsons, Crowdstrike
Chris Romano, Crowdstrike
Wojciech Lesicki
Pià Consigny, Tenable
Clément Notin, Tenable
Praetorian
Alex Soler, AttackIQ
Arad Inbar, Fidelis Security
Arun Seelagan, CISA
x_mitre_deprecated: no
x_mitre_domains: enterprise-attack
x_mitre_is_subtechnique: yes
x_mitre_modified_by_ref: identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5
x_mitre_platforms: IaaS
Identity Provider
Office Suite
SaaS
x_mitre_version: 2.5