Hands-On Cloud Hacking: A Deep Dive into AWS Offensive Security

Introduction:

Cloud security is a critical concern as organizations increasingly migrate to platforms like AWS. Offensive security practices, such as ethical hacking and penetration testing, help identify vulnerabilities before malicious actors exploit them. At DEF CON’s Cloud Village, experts like Eduard Agavriloae demonstrate real-world cloud hacking techniques to fortify defenses.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand common AWS security misconfigurations and attack vectors.
• Learn hands-on techniques for exploiting and mitigating cloud vulnerabilities.
• Gain insights into offensive security tools and methodologies for cloud environments.

You Should Know:

1. Enumerating AWS S3 Buckets

Command:

aws s3 ls s3://bucket-name --no-sign-request 

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Run the command to list publicly accessible S3 buckets.
2. If the bucket is misconfigured, you may access sensitive data.
3. Mitigation: Ensure S3 buckets have proper ACLs and bucket policies restricting public access.

2. Exploiting IAM Misconfigurations

Command:

aws iam list-users --profile vulnerable-profile 

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Use over-permissive IAM roles to enumerate users.

2. Escalate privileges by attaching malicious policies.

1. Mitigation: Apply the principle of least privilege (PoLP) and audit IAM policies regularly.

3. SSRF Attacks in Cloud Metadata Services

Command:

curl http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/iam/security-credentials/ 

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Exploit Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) to access cloud metadata.

2. Retrieve temporary IAM credentials.

1. Mitigation: Disable metadata service v1 where possible and enforce IMDSv2.

4. Privilege Escalation via Lambda Functions

Command:

aws lambda update-function-code --function-name target-function --zip-file fileb://malicious.zip 

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Modify a Lambda function’s code to execute arbitrary commands.
2. Gain persistent access or escalate to higher privileges.
3. Mitigation: Restrict Lambda execution roles and monitor code changes.

5. Hardening CloudTrail Logging

Command:

aws cloudtrail update-trail --name MyTrail --enable-log-file-validation 

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Enable log file validation to detect tampering.

2. Integrate with SIEM tools for real-time monitoring.

1. Mitigation: Enable multi-region logging and enforce S3 bucket encryption.

What Undercode Say:

• Key Takeaway 1: Cloud environments are prone to misconfigurations, making offensive security testing essential.
• Key Takeaway 2: Automation tools like Prowler or ScoutSuite can help identify vulnerabilities at scale.

Analysis:

The rise of cloud adoption has outpaced many organizations’ security maturity. Hands-on labs, like those at DEF CON’s Cloud Village, bridge the gap by teaching offensive techniques in a controlled environment. As attackers evolve, continuous learning and proactive hardening—such as automating security checks and enforcing zero-trust policies—are critical. Future cloud security will rely heavily on AI-driven threat detection and DevSecOps integration.

Prediction:

By 2025, AI-powered penetration testing tools will dominate cloud security, reducing manual effort while increasing vulnerability detection rates. However, attackers will also leverage AI, escalating the arms race between defenders and adversaries. Organizations must invest in offensive security training to stay ahead.

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Activity 7343887485405384704 – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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