AWS Integrates IAM Policy Simulator into Console and Adds Policy Exclusion Feature

Amazon Web Services announced a major update to its Identity and Access Management (IAM) Policy Simulator. The tool is now embedded directly in the IAM console, allowing users to test policies where they manage identities. New capabilities include the ability to simulate Service Control Policies (SCPs) and to use a PolicyExclusionList parameter that lets administrators exclude specific policies from a simulation, helping evaluate “what‑if” scenarios without altering live policies. The update also provides per‑policy decision reporting for cross‑account simulations and supports condition keys such as region restrictions and tag requirements. These features are available in all AWS regions where the simulator is offered.

A technical walkthrough demonstrates how PolicyExclusionList can be used to remove an explicit deny policy and observe the resulting permission changes, highlighting the tool’s usefulness for complex permission structures involving inline policies, permissions boundaries, and implicit denies.