---
title: 'Scanning Multiple AWS Accounts with Prowler'
---

Prowler enables security scanning across multiple AWS accounts by utilizing the  [Assume Role feature](/user-guide/providers/aws/role-assumption) and [integration with AWS Organizations feature](/user-guide/providers/aws/organizations).

This approach allows execution from a single account with permissions to assume roles in the target accounts.

## Scanning Multiple Accounts Sequentially

To scan specific accounts one at a time:

- Define a variable containing the AWS account IDs to be scanned:

```
ACCOUNTS_LIST='11111111111 2222222222 333333333'
```

- Run Prowler with an IAM role that exists in all target accounts: (replace the `<role_name>` with to yours, that is to be consistent throughout all accounts):

```
ROLE_TO_ASSUME=<role_name>
    for accountId in $ACCOUNTS_LIST; do
    prowler aws --role arn:aws:iam::$accountId:role/$ROLE_TO_ASSUME
done
```

## Scanning Multiple Accounts in Parallel

- To scan multiple accounts simultaneously:

Define the AWS accounts to be scanned with a variable:

```
ACCOUNTS_LIST='11111111111 2222222222 333333333'
```

- Run Prowler with an IAM role that exists in all target accounts: (replace the `<role_name>` with to yours, that is to be consistent throughout all accounts). The following example executes scanning across three accounts in parallel:

```
ROLE_TO_ASSUME=<role_name>
PARALLEL_ACCOUNTS="3"
for accountId in $ACCOUNTS_LIST; do
    test "$(jobs | wc -l)" -ge $PARALLEL_ACCOUNTS && wait || true
    {
        prowler aws --role arn:aws:iam::$accountId:role/$ROLE_TO_ASSUME
    } &
done
```

## Scanning Multiple AWS Organization Accounts in Parallel

Prowler enables parallel security scans across multiple AWS accounts within an AWS Organization.

### Retrieve Active AWS Accounts

To efficiently scan multiple accounts within an AWS Organization, follow these steps:

- Step 1: Retrieve a List of Active Accounts

First, declare a variable containing all active accounts in your AWS Organization. Run the following command in your AWS Organizations Management account, ensuring that you have the necessary permissions:

```
ACCOUNTS_IN_ORG=$(aws organizations list-accounts --query Accounts[?Status==`ACTIVE`].Id --output text)
```

- Step 2: Run Prowler with Assumed Roles

Use Prowler to assume roles across accounts in parallel. Modify `<role_name>` to match the role that exists in all accounts and `<management_organizations_account_id>` to your AWS Organizations Management account ID.

```
ROLE_TO_ASSUME=<role_name>
MGMT_ACCOUNT_ID=<management_organizations_account_id>
PARALLEL_ACCOUNTS="3"
for accountId in $ACCOUNTS_IN_ORG; do
test "$(jobs | wc -l)" -ge $PARALLEL_ACCOUNTS && wait || true
{
    prowler aws --role arn:aws:iam::$accountId:role/$ROLE_TO_ASSUME \
    --organizations-role arn:aws:iam::$MGMT_ACCOUNT_ID:role/$ROLE_TO_ASSUME
} &
done
```