IAM (Identity and Access Management) credentials are used to control and manage access to cloud services and resources. When a penetration tester obtains IAM credentials, especially those with administrative privileges, they can perform high-level operations such as provisioning services, modifying configurations, or accessing sensitive data across the cloud environment.
* SSH keys would only grant access to a specific instance, not cloud-wide services.
* Cloud storage credentials are limited to storage access, not administrative capabilities.
* Temporary security credentials (STS) provide limited-time access and are not typically used for broad administrative tasks.