IAM Credentials

IAM credentials are the keys to controlling access in cloud environments, particularly within services like AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). These credentials—such as access keys, secret keys, and session tokens—grant users and applications permission to interact with cloud resources. Managing IAM credentials securely is critical to preventing unauthorized access, data breaches, and privilege escalation. Best practices include using roles over long-term credentials, rotating keys regularly, enforcing least-privilege policies, and enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all sensitive operations.