> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/appsec-rules/iac-security/iam/appsec-aws-168.md).

# SQS queue policy is public and access is not restricted to specific services or principals misconfig

## Rule Details

|                        |                           |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Cortex AppSec Rule ID  | APPSEC\_AWS\_168          |
| Category - Subcategory | IAM - Overly Permissive   |
| Provider               | AWS                       |
| Severity               | HIGH                      |
| Framework              | Terraform, Terraform Plan |

## Impact

It is generally a best practice to restrict access to Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) queues to only the specific services or principals that require access. This can help to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to the data stored in your queues and protect against potential data breaches.

## How to Fix

*Resource:* aws\_sqs\_queue\_policy

* *Arguments:* Statement \[source,go]

***

resource "aws\_sqs\_queue\_policy" "test" { ... policy = <\<POLICY { "Version":"2012-10-17", "Statement":\[ { "Principal": "\*",

* "Effect": "Deny", "Action": "sqs:SendMessage", "Resource": "${aws\_sqs\_queue\_policy.q.arn}" } ] } POLICY }

***


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