diff --git a/weed/iam/policy/policy_engine.go b/weed/iam/policy/policy_engine.go
index f53768bb4..4b82a5ad0 100644
--- a/weed/iam/policy/policy_engine.go
+++ b/weed/iam/policy/policy_engine.go
@@ -473,8 +473,11 @@ func (e *PolicyEngine) EvaluateTrustPolicy(ctx context.Context, trustPolicy *Pol
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("trust policy cannot be nil")
 	}
 
+	// A trust policy is deny-by-default, whatever the engine's DefaultEffect:
+	// a role may be assumed only by a principal a trust statement explicitly
+	// allows.
 	result := &EvaluationResult{
-		Effect: Effect(e.config.DefaultEffect),
+		Effect: EffectDeny,
 		EvaluationDetails: &EvaluationDetails{
 			Principal:         evalCtx.Principal,
 			Action:            evalCtx.Action,
@@ -511,7 +514,7 @@ func (e *PolicyEngine) EvaluateTrustPolicy(ctx context.Context, trustPolicy *Pol
 	// AWS IAM evaluation logic:
 	// 1. If there's an explicit Deny, the result is Deny
 	// 2. If there's an Allow and no Deny, the result is Allow
-	// 3. Otherwise, use the default effect
+	// 3. Otherwise, the implicit deny stands
 	if explicitDeny {
 		result.Effect = EffectDeny
 	} else if hasAllow {
diff --git a/weed/iam/policy/trust_policy_implicit_deny_test.go b/weed/iam/policy/trust_policy_implicit_deny_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2058bcf7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/weed/iam/policy/trust_policy_implicit_deny_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package policy
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+const subjectBoundTrustPolicy = `{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow",
+	"Principal":{"Federated":"https://oidc.example"},"Action":["sts:AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity"],
+	"Condition":{"StringEquals":{"oidc:sub":"spiffe://example.org/ns/app/sa/app"}}}]}`
+
+func webIdentityContext(sub string) *EvaluationContext {
+	return &EvaluationContext{
+		Principal: "web-identity-user",
+		Action:    "sts:AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity",
+		Resource:  "arn:aws:iam::role/app",
+		RequestContext: map[string]interface{}{
+			"aws:FederatedProvider": "https://oidc.example",
+			"oidc:iss":              "https://oidc.example",
+			"oidc:sub":              sub,
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+// A trust policy is deny-by-default. The engine's DefaultEffect decides
+// requests no identity policy speaks to; it must not let a principal the trust
+// policy does not allow assume the role.
+func TestEvaluateTrustPolicyIsImplicitDenyWhateverTheDefaultEffect(t *testing.T) {
+	var trust PolicyDocument
+	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(subjectBoundTrustPolicy), &trust); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse test trust policy: %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, defaultEffect := range []string{"Allow", "Deny"} {
+		t.Run("defaultEffect="+defaultEffect, func(t *testing.T) {
+			engine := NewPolicyEngine()
+			if err := engine.Initialize(&PolicyEngineConfig{DefaultEffect: defaultEffect, StoreType: "memory"}); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("initialize policy engine: %v", err)
+			}
+
+			res, err := engine.EvaluateTrustPolicy(context.Background(), &trust, webIdentityContext("spiffe://example.org/ns/other/sa/x"))
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("evaluate trust policy: %v", err)
+			}
+			if res.Effect != EffectDeny {
+				t.Errorf("a subject the trust policy does not allow got %s", res.Effect)
+			}
+
+			res, err = engine.EvaluateTrustPolicy(context.Background(), &trust, webIdentityContext("spiffe://example.org/ns/app/sa/app"))
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("evaluate trust policy: %v", err)
+			}
+			if res.Effect != EffectAllow {
+				t.Errorf("the subject the trust policy allows got %s", res.Effect)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEvaluateTrustPolicyExplicitDenyWins(t *testing.T) {
+	var trust PolicyDocument
+	doc := `{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[
+		{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"Federated":"https://oidc.example"},"Action":["sts:AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity"]},
+		{"Effect":"Deny","Principal":{"Federated":"https://oidc.example"},"Action":["sts:AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity"],
+		 "Condition":{"StringEquals":{"oidc:sub":"spiffe://example.org/ns/app/sa/app"}}}]}`
+	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(doc), &trust); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse test trust policy: %v", err)
+	}
+	engine := NewPolicyEngine()
+	if err := engine.Initialize(&PolicyEngineConfig{DefaultEffect: "Allow", StoreType: "memory"}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("initialize policy engine: %v", err)
+	}
+	res, err := engine.EvaluateTrustPolicy(context.Background(), &trust, webIdentityContext("spiffe://example.org/ns/app/sa/app"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("evaluate trust policy: %v", err)
+	}
+	if res.Effect != EffectDeny {
+		t.Errorf("explicit Deny did not win: %s", res.Effect)
+	}
+}