Cloud Pentesting
Cloud penetration testing focuses on identifying misconfigurations, insecure identity management, and storage exposures in public cloud environments. Unlike traditional network pentesting, the focus here is often on the control plane (API) rather than just the data plane.
Every technique below assumes cloud accounts you own and are willing to break. The Cloud Lab setup guide covers CloudGoat on AWS, AzureGoat and Kubernetes Goat, and sets the billing guardrail and destroy step before any of them deploy.
What You'll Learn
- IAM privilege escalation paths
- Cloud storage misconfiguration attacks
- Container escape techniques
- Kubernetes cluster compromise
- Metadata service exploitation
- Multi-cloud security auditing
Cloud Pentesting Methodology
Cloud Providers
AWS
IAM, S3, EC2, Lambda, metadata service, and privilege escalation.
Azure
Entra ID, Storage, VMs, App Services, and hybrid AD attacks.
GCP
IAM, Cloud Storage, Compute Engine, Cloud Functions, and service accounts.
SaaS & Container Security
SaaS / M365
Microsoft 365, Entra ID, device code phishing, consent grants, and Graph API exploitation.
Kubernetes
RBAC exploitation, pod escapes, secrets harvesting, and cluster compromise.
Docker
Container escapes, Docker socket abuse, image attacks, and runtime exploitation.
Multi-Cloud Tools
ScoutSuite
AuditingOpen source multi-cloud security-auditing tool. Supports AWS, Azure, GCP, and more.
Installation
pip install scoutsuiteProwler
AuditingSecurity tool to perform AWS, Azure, and GCP security best practices assessments, audits, and incident response.
Installation
pip install prowlerCloudSploit
ScanningCloud security scanning engine to detect security risks in cloud infrastructure.
Installation
npm install -g cloudsploitSteampipe
EnumerationUse SQL to query cloud APIs. Instantly query your cloud resources.
Installation
brew install steampipe⚠️ Legal Disclaimer
Always obtain proper written authorization before conducting cloud penetration testing. Review cloud provider terms of service and notify them if required. Unauthorized access to cloud resources is illegal.