Cloud Snooping Attack
Cloud snooping attacks involve unauthorized access to cloud data by intercepting network communications or exploiting vulnerabilities. Attackers use cloud snooping techniques like packet sniffing, metadata API exploitation, and side-channel attacks to steal sensitive information. A major risk of cloud snooping is the exposure of confidential data due to misconfiguration or weak encryption protocols. Threat actors leverage cloud snooping by monitoring unencrypted traffic and abusing shared cloud resources. Preventing cloud snooping requires strong encryption, strict IAM policies, and continuous network monitoring. Organizations must implement TLS encryption and restrict access to metadata APIs to mitigate these risks. Monitoring VPC flow logs and API logs can help detect suspicious activities. SIEM tools can identify unusual data access patterns associated with cloud snooping. Regular audits and compliance checks help reduce the attack surface. Enforcing Zero Trust security principles adds another layer of protection against such threats.
Detection of Cloud Snooping
AWS Cloud Snooping Attacks
├── 1. Unauthorized Cloud Resource Enumeration
│ ├── Detection:
│ │ ├── Monitor DescribeInstances, ListBuckets, ListUsers API calls
│ │ ├── Detect excessive enumeration attempts from a single source
│ │ ├── Identify reconnaissance activity from unknown IPs
│ ├── Log Sources: CloudTrail, GuardDuty, AWS Config
│ ├── MITRE ATT&CK: T1592 (Gather Victim Host Information)
│
├── 2. IAM Role & User Reconnaissance
│ ├── Detection:
│ │ ├── Monitor ListRoles, GetUser, GetRole API calls
│ │ ├── Detect unauthorized IAM enumeration from unusual locations
│ │ ├── Identify script-based IAM brute force attempts
│ ├── Log Sources: CloudTrail, IAM Logs, GuardDuty
│ ├── MITRE ATT&CK: T1087.004 (Account Discovery – Cloud Accounts)
│
├── 3. S3 Bucket Snooping & Public Exposure
│ ├── Detection:
│ │ ├── Monitor ListBuckets, GetBucketPolicy, GetObject
│ │ ├── Detect unauthorized access attempts to private buckets
│ │ ├── Identify excessive S3 read operations from unknown IPs
│ ├── Log Sources: CloudTrail, S3 Access Logs, AWS Config
│ ├── MITRE ATT&CK: T1530 (Data from Cloud Storage Object)
│
├── 4. VPC Traffic & Network Monitoring (Packet Snooping)
│ ├── Detection:
│ │ ├── Monitor CreateFlowLogs for unauthorized network monitoring
│ │ ├── Detect unusual use of Packet Mirroring in VPC settings
│ │ ├── Identify access to VPC traffic logs by non-administrators
│ ├── Log Sources: VPC Flow Logs, CloudTrail, AWS Config
│ ├── MITRE ATT&CK: T1040 (Network Sniffing)
│
├── 5. RDS & DynamoDB Snooping for Sensitive Data
│ ├── Detection:
│ │ ├── Monitor DescribeDBInstances, DownloadDBLogFilePortion
│ │ ├── Detect unauthorized SQL queries extracting bulk data
│ │ ├── Identify excessive Scan or Query operations on databases
│ ├── Log Sources: CloudTrail, RDS Logs, DynamoDB Logs
│ ├── MITRE ATT&CK: T1507 (Data from Cloud Databases)
│
├── 6. CloudTrail Log Snooping & Modification
│ ├── Detection:
│ │ ├── Monitor GetTrailStatus, DescribeTrails, LookupEvents
│ │ ├── Detect unauthorized attempts to access CloudTrail logs
│ │ ├── Identify modifications to CloudTrail settings (StopLogging)
│ ├── Log Sources: CloudTrail, AWS Config, GuardDuty
│ ├── MITRE ATT&CK: T1562.008 (Impair Defenses – Disable Cloud Logs)
│
├── 7. Metadata Service Exploitation (Instance Snooping)
│ ├── Detection:
│ │ ├── Monitor EC2 metadata API calls (169.254.169.254)
│ │ ├── Detect unauthorized access to IAM role credentials via metadata
│ │ ├── Identify unexpected use of curl, wget commands in EC2 logs
│ ├── Log Sources: EC2 System Logs, CloudTrail, VPC Flow Logs
│ ├── MITRE ATT&CK: T1526 (Cloud Service Discovery)
│
├── 8. Lambda Function Enumeration & Snooping
│ ├── Detection:
│ │ ├── Monitor ListFunctions, GetFunction, InvokeFunction
│ │ ├── Detect unauthorized function executions from unknown IPs
│ │ ├── Identify attempts to extract Lambda environment variables
│ ├── Log Sources: CloudTrail, Lambda Execution Logs, GuardDuty
│ ├── MITRE ATT&CK: T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol – Web Protocols)
│
├── 9. EKS & Kubernetes API Snooping
│ ├── Detection:
│ │ ├── Monitor DescribeCluster, GetCallerIdentity, ListPods
│ │ ├── Detect unauthorized API calls to EKS clusters
│ │ ├── Identify suspicious activity in Kubernetes audit logs
│ ├── Log Sources: CloudTrail, EKS Audit Logs, Kubernetes Logs
│ ├── MITRE ATT&CK: T1552.007 (Container API Snooping)
│
└── 10. Cloud-based Email & Messaging Snooping
├── Detection:
│ ├── Monitor ListIdentities, GetSendQuota, GetSendStatistics
│ ├── Detect unauthorized access to AWS SES & SNS messaging
│ ├── Identify attempts to modify email forwarding rules
├── Log Sources: CloudTrail, SES Logs, SNS Logs
├── MITRE ATT&CK: T1114.002 (Email Collection – Mail Client)
For threat hunting for cloud snooping please click here.
Detection & Hunting Strategies
✅Monitor Cloud Traffic
Use VPC Flow Logs and Firewall Logs to detect suspicious traffic patterns (e.g., repeated access from unrecognized IPs).
✅Analyze API Calls
Track API requests for unusual activities such as frequent listing of storage buckets or abnormal metadata access.
✅Inspect Unusual Data Transfers
Detect large outbound data transfers to untrusted destinations using Cloud Storage Access Logs and DLP Solutions.
✅Detect Side-Channel Behavior
Look for anomalies in CPU or memory usage that indicate potential side-channel attacks in Cloud VM Logs.
✅Enable Encryption & Certificate Pinning
Prevent MitM attacks by enforcing TLS encryption and certificate validation across cloud services.
Mitigation Strategies
✅ Use Network Encryption – Implement TLS 1.2+ and enforce strict encryption policies.
✅ Restrict Metadata API Access – Apply IAM policies to limit access to sensitive cloud metadata endpoints.
✅ Monitor API & User Behavior – Enable CloudTrail (AWS), Audit Logs (GCP), or Activity Logs (Azure) for anomaly detection.
✅ Implement Zero Trust Security – Apply least privilege access, MFA, and network segmentation to minimize exposure.
✅ Deploy Threat Intelligence – Use threat feeds and SIEM correlation rules to detect cloud-based adversary tactics.
