Threat Hunting for Cloud Attacks
A cloud attack is a cyberattack targeting cloud-based services, applications, or infrastructure. It can involve data breaches, account hijacking, malware injection, or denial of service (DoS) attacks. Cloud attacks often exploit misconfiguration, weak credentials, or insecure APIs.
Unauthorized access to cloud resources can lead to data loss, service disruption, or financial damage. Implementing strong access controls, encryption, and regular security audits helps mitigate cloud attack risks.
Cloud Attack Details with Security Jargon
| Cloud Attack Type | Description | Possible Impact |
| Credential Theft | Unauthorized access through compromised IAM keys, API tokens, or service accounts. | Data breach, Privilege escalation |
| Misconfigured Storage Buckets | Exposing S3 buckets, Azure Blobs, or GCP Buckets with public read/write access. | Data exfiltration, Sensitive data leakage |
| Privilege Escalation | Gaining higher-level access through misconfigured roles or weak IAM policies. | Admin account takeover, Lateral movement |
| Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) | Exploiting cloud metadata services to access Instance Metadata Service (IMDS) and sensitive data. | Credential theft, Cloud resource compromise |
| API Exploitation | Attacking insecure APIs or public API endpoints through injection or fuzzing. | Data exfiltration, Denial of Service (DoS) |
| Account Hijacking | Unauthorized access via phishing, brute force attacks, or stolen credentials. | Data theft, Full account takeover |
| Misconfigured Security Groups | Allowing open ports (22, 3389) or broad access to cloud workloads. | Service disruption, Lateral movement |
| Cross-Account Access Misuse | Exploiting assume role permissions between cloud accounts. | Privilege escalation, Data exfiltration |
| Cloud Cryptojacking | Using compromised cloud resources to mine cryptocurrency without authorization. | Resource exhaustion, Financial loss |
| Denial of Service (DoS) | Flooding cloud applications with malicious traffic using DDoS amplification. | Service disruption, Financial loss |
| Container Escape | Exploiting container vulnerabilities to break out into the host system. | Lateral movement, Privilege escalation |
| Data Exfiltration via Cloud Storage | Moving sensitive data to external cloud storage or public URLs. | Data breach, Regulatory non-compliance |
| IAM Role Misuse | Exploiting over-permissive IAM roles to access cloud resources. | Privilege escalation, Data exfiltration |
| Resource Enumeration via APIs | Using APIs to list cloud resources and gather environment information. | Reconnaissance, Lateral movement |
| DNS Tunneling | Using cloud DNS services to covertly exfiltrate data or communicate with C2 servers. | Data exfiltration, Persistence |
| Code Injection in Functions (Lambda/Serverless) | Injecting malicious code into serverless functions via vulnerable endpoints. | Data exfiltration, Lateral movement |
| Over-permissioned Service Accounts | Assigning excessive privileges to cloud service accounts. | Privilege escalation, Data theft |
| Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) in Transit | Intercepting data traffic between cloud resources by exploiting TLS misconfigurations. | Data manipulation, Credential theft |
| Unrestricted Cloud Resource Creation | Exploiting cloud APIs to create rogue instances, storage buckets, or VMs. | Resource abuse, Cryptojacking |
| Unpatched Cloud Workloads | Exploiting vulnerabilities in EC2, VM, or container instances due to missing security patches. | Remote Code Execution (RCE), Privilege escalation |
Cloud Attack Patterns & Detection
- Identity & Access Exploitation
│ ├── 1.1 Stolen Credentials
│ │ ├── Phishing Attacks
│ │ ├── Credential Stuffing
│ │ ├── Brute Force Attack
│ │ ├── MFA Bypass
│ ├── 1.2 Misconfigured IAM Policies
│ │ ├── Overprivileged Users/Roles
│ │ ├── Publicly Accessible IAM Roles
│ │ ├── Lack of Least Privilege Enforcement
│ ├── 1.3 Token Hijacking
│ │ ├── Session Hijacking
│ │ ├── Pass-the-Cookie Attack
│ │ ├── API Key Leaks
│ │ ├── OAuth Token Abuse
│ ├── 1.4 Insider Threats
│ ├── Rogue Admins
│ ├── Malicious API Key Usage
│ ├── Data Theft via Insider Access - Compute Exploitation
│ ├── 2.1 Container & Kubernetes Attacks
│ │ ├── Escape from Container to Host
│ │ ├── Compromised Kubernetes API
│ │ ├── Exploiting Weak RBAC Configurations
│ ├── 2.2 Virtual Machine Exploits
│ │ ├── VM Escape Attacks
│ │ ├── Hypervisor Exploits
│ │ ├── VM Snapshot Theft - Storage & Data Breach
│ ├── 3.1 Publicly Exposed Storage (S3 Buckets, Blobs)
│ │ ├── Open S3 Buckets (AWS)
│ │ ├── Open Blob Containers (Azure)
│ │ ├── Open Cloud Storage Buckets (GCP)
│ ├── 3.2 Ransomware in Cloud Storage
│ │ ├── Data Exfiltration before Encryption
│ │ ├── Snapshot/Backup Tampering
│ ├── 3.3 Insecure Data Transfer
│ │ ├── Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) in API Calls
│ │ ├── Unencrypted Data at Rest or Transit - Network Exploitation
│ ├── 4.1 Misconfigured Security Groups/Firewall Rules
│ │ ├── Open SSH/RDP Access
│ │ ├── Open Database Ports (3306, 1433, 27017)
│ ├── 4.2 Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
│ │ ├── Exploiting Internal Metadata APIs
│ │ ├── Privilege Escalation via SSRF
│ ├── 4.3 Lateral Movement in Cloud Networks
│ │ ├── Exploiting Peered VPCs
│ │ ├── Abusing API Gateway to Access Internal Services - Cloud API & Serverless Exploitation
│ ├── 5.1 Insecure API Endpoints
│ │ ├── API Key Exposure
│ │ ├── Lack of Rate Limiting
│ │ ├── Broken Authentication in API
│ ├── 5.2 Exploiting Serverless Workloads
│ │ ├── Code Injection in Lambda Functions
│ │ ├── Event Data Manipulation - Supply Chain & Dependency Attacks
│ ├── 6.1 Malicious Packages in CI/CD Pipelines
│ │ ├── Poisoning Open-Source Dependencies
│ │ ├── Code Injection in Build Process
│ ├── 6.2 Cloud Service Provider Exploits
│ │ ├── Third-Party API/SDK Exploitation
│ │ ├── Supply Chain Poisoning in SaaS Apps - Cryptojacking & Resource Hijacking
│ ├── 7.1 Unauthorized Compute Resource Usage
│ │ ├── Compromised Cloud Credentials for Mining
│ │ ├── Unsecured Docker API Exploitation
│ ├── 7.2 Rogue Cloud Instances
│ │ ├── Deployment of Hidden Workloads
│ │ ├── Abusing Free-Tier Cloud Accounts - Cloud Persistence & Evasion
├── 8.1 Backdoor in Cloud Services
│ ├── IAM Role Persistence
│ ├── Malicious Lambda Backdoor
│ ├── Scheduled Task Injection
├── 8.2 Log Manipulation & Evasion
│ ├── Disabling CloudTrail Logging
│ ├── Modifying API Call Logs
├── 8.3 Data Destruction & Impact
├── Deleting Snapshots & Backups
├── Wiping Storage Volumes - Credential Theft & Identity Attacks
│ ├── 9.1 Phishing for Cloud Credentials
│ ├── 9.2 Credential Stuffing & Brute Force
│ ├── 9.3 MFA Bypass (Session Hijacking, OAuth Abuse)
│ ├── 9.4 Stolen API Keys & Access Tokens - Misconfigured IAM & Privilege Escalation
│ ├── 10.1 Overprivileged IAM Roles & Users
│ ├── 10.2 Publicly Accessible IAM Policies
│ ├── 10.3 Pass-the-Token Attack - Cloud Storage Attacks
│ ├── 11.1 Publicly Exposed Storage (S3, Azure Blobs, GCP Buckets)
│ ├── 11.2 Data Exfiltration from Cloud Storage
│ ├── 11.3 Ransomware & Data Encryption in Cloud Storage│ - Compute & Container Exploits
│ ├── 12.1 Kubernetes API Compromise
│ ├── 12.2 Docker Escape Exploits
│ ├── 12.3 VM Snapshot Theft│ - Network & Lateral Movement
│ ├── 13.1 Exploiting Open Cloud Firewall Rules (Security Groups)
│ ├── 13.2 Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) to Access Metadata API
│ ├── 13.3 Cloud VPN & VPC Peering Exploitation│ - API & Serverless Exploitation
│ ├── 14.1 Insecure API Exposure (API Key Leaks, Rate Limiting Bypass)
│ ├── 14.2 Serverless Function Exploits (Malicious Lambda Code Execution)│ - Supply Chain & CI/CD Attacks
│ ├── 15.1 Malicious Open-Source Package in CI/CD Pipeline
│ ├── 15.2 Code Injection in Cloud Build Processes│ - Cryptojacking & Resource Hijacking
│ ├── 16.1 Unauthorized Cloud Compute Usage for Mining
│ ├── 16.2 Abusing Free Cloud Tiers for Persistent Mining│ - Cloud Log Evasion & Persistence
│ ├── 17.1 Disabling Cloud Logging (CloudTrail, Audit Logs)
│ ├── 17.2 IAM Role Persistence (Creating Hidden Admin Roles) - Cloud Data Destruction & Impact
├── 18.1 Deleting Backups & Snapshots
├── 18.2 Wiping Storage & Database Records
Major Remediation Techniques for Cloud Attacks
✅Identity and Access Management (IAM) Hardening
Implement least privilege access and MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) for all user accounts.
Regularly review and rotate access keys and credentials.
✅Data Encryption
Encrypt data at rest and in transit using cloud-native encryption services like AWS KMS or Azure Key Vault.
✅Network Security Controls for Cloud Attack
Use VPC security groups, NACLs (Network Access Control Lists), and firewalls to restrict access to critical services.
Implement zero trust architecture with micro-segmentation.
✅Logging and Monitoring to Detect Cloud Attack
Enable CloudTrail, GuardDuty (AWS), or Security Command Center (GCP) for continuous monitoring.
Set up SIEM integration for real-time alerts.
✅Misconfiguration Management
Use AWS Config, Azure Policy, or CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management) tools to detect and remediate misconfigurations.
✅Patch Management
Automate patching of virtual machines, containers, and applications using AWS Systems Manager or Azure Update Manager.
✅DDoS Protection
Deploy AWS Shield, Cloudflare, or Azure DDoS Protection to mitigate DDoS attacks.
✅API Security for Cloud Attack
Use API Gateway with rate limiting and WAF (Web Application Firewall) to filter malicious requests.
Enforce API authentication with OAuth2 or JWT tokens.
✅Backup and Disaster Recovery
Regularly backup critical data with Amazon S3 Versioning, Azure Backup, or GCP Snapshots.
Test recovery procedures frequently.
✅Threat Hunting and Incident Response For Cloud Attack
Perform proactive threat hunting using logs and behavioral patterns.
Set up an Incident Response Plan (IRP) with automated playbooks using AWS Step Functions or Azure Logic Apps.
