Cloud entitlements are the access rights and permission relationships that determine what users, service accounts, workloads, and other identities can do in a cloud environment. They include roles, inherited permissions, API privileges, and cross-account access paths, not just simple logins.
They matter because cloud permissions are often overgranted, drift over time, or remain attached to abandoned identities. In an attack, a stolen credential or compromised service account can inherit powerful entitlements and expand the attacker’s reach across storage, compute, or identity systems. Defenders use CIEM, identity governance, and least-privilege reviews to discover excessive access, map attack paths, and remove unnecessary permissions before they become a breach multiplier.