Check ID: identity_service_level_admins_exist
Provider: Oracle Cloud (OCI)
Service: identity
Severity: HIGH
Categories: identity-access
Resource type: Policy

What this check verifies

OCI IAM policies are reviewed for overly broad entitlements, specifically statements granting manage all-resources without scoping to particular services or compartments. Only active policies are considered; the default tenant admin policy is excluded.

Risk

Broad manage all-resources grants erode least privilege, enabling access across the tenancy. A compromised user or misused token could cause privilege escalation, data exfiltration, destructive changes, and service disruption, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Recommendation

Apply least privilege and separation of duties:
  • Replace manage all-resources with service-scoped permissions and compartment limits
  • Create service-level admin groups for specific families
  • Use tags/regions for conditions, when applicable
  • Employ time-bound elevation and periodic reviews

Remediation

oci iam policy update —policy-id <policy-ocid> —statements ’[“Allow group <GroupName> to manage instance-family in compartment <CompartmentName>”]’

References

Where this check fires

This check runs on every scheduled scan against your Oracle Cloud (OCI) account. Findings appear at Cloud Security → Findings filterable by Check ID = identity_service_level_admins_exist. To re-evaluate after a fix, hit Run now on the account’s schedule under Cloud Security → Schedules — the next scan re-checks this control and marks the finding fixed or keeps it persistent.
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