Exercise 19: Cloud Access Logging and Monitoring Exploitation

Objective:

Understand how weak or misconfigured cloud access logging and monitoring allow attackers to operate undetected. Simulate malicious actions in the cloud infrastructure while logging is disabled or incomplete, and recommend best practices for enabling full logging, centralized monitoring, and setting up alerts.

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Scenario:

An organization has partially configured or disabled logging for critical cloud activities (e.g., AWS CloudTrail, GCP Stackdriver). This misconfiguration allows attackers to exploit cloud resources without being detected. Your goal is to simulate an attack, demonstrate how malicious actions go unnoticed, and suggest measures to improve logging and monitoring.

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Lab Setup:

Prerequisites:

1. Access to a cloud platform:
   • AWS (preferred for this lab) or GCP.
2. Installed tools:
   • aws-cli (Installation Guide).
   • gsutil (for GCP, Installation Guide).

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Steps to Set Up the Lab:

Option 1: AWS CloudTrail Logging Misconfiguration:

1. Disable or Misconfigure CloudTrail:
   • Log in to the AWS Management Console.
   • Navigate to CloudTrail > Trails > Edit an existing trail or disable it temporarily:
     • Disable Management Events (e.g., S3, Lambda, IAM).
     • Disable log file validation and encryption.
2. Launch an EC2 Instance:
   • Navigate to EC2 > Launch Instance.
   • Configure the instance:
     • AMI: Amazon Linux 2.
     • Security Group: Open SSH (port 22) to the public.
   • Note the instance’s public IP.
3. Create an S3 Bucket:
   • Navigate to S3 > Create Bucket.
   • Configure:
     • Bucket name: logging-exploitation-demo.
     • Leave public access block settings enabled.

Option 2: GCP Stackdriver Logging Misconfiguration:

1. Disable Logging for a Project:
   • Log in to the GCP Console.
   • Navigate to Logs Explorer.
   • Disable or narrow the scope of logging (e.g., exclude VM activity or API calls).
2. Launch a Virtual Machine:
   • Navigate to Compute Engine > VM Instances > Create Instance.
   • Leave default logging disabled for the VM.

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Exercise: Exploiting Lack of Logging and Monitoring

Objective:

Simulate malicious actions in the cloud infrastructure while logging is disabled or incomplete.

1. Perform Actions Without Being Logged:
   • AWS Example:
     • Connect to the EC2 instance:bashCopyEditssh -i <key-file>.pem ec2-user@<public-ip>
     • Perform actions, such as:
       • Listing available S3 buckets:bashCopyEditaws s3 ls
       • Uploading files to the S3 bucket:bashCopyEditaws s3 cp sensitive-data.txt s3://logging-exploitation-demo/
     • Modify the S3 bucket policy to allow public access:bashCopyEditaws s3api put-bucket-policy --bucket logging-exploitation-demo --policy file://policy.json
   • GCP Example:
     • SSH into the VM and simulate similar activities, such as copying sensitive files to a public bucket.
2. Check for Logs:
   • Verify that CloudTrail or Stackdriver does not log these activities due to the misconfigured settings.
3. Simulate Persistence:
   • Create new IAM users or roles with elevated permissions while logging is disabled:bashCopyEditaws iam create-user --user-name attacker aws iam attach-user-policy --user-name attacker --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/AdministratorAccess
4. Analyze the Impact:
   • Show how actions such as accessing resources or creating backdoors remain undetected due to incomplete logging.

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Tools Required:

1. AWS CloudTrail or GCP Stackdriver: For managing and analyzing logs.
2. aws-cli or gsutil: For interacting with cloud resources.
3. SSH Client: For accessing cloud instances.

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Deliverables:

1. Exploit Report:
   • Evidence of malicious actions (e.g., S3 uploads, IAM user creation) performed without being logged.
   • Screenshots or logs showing the absence of monitoring.
2. Recommendations for Mitigating Risks:
   • Steps to enable full logging, centralize monitoring, and set up alerts.

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Solution:

1. Identified Vulnerabilities:
   • Disabled Logging: Critical activities, such as API calls or instance access, were not logged.
   • Lack of Monitoring: No alerts or centralized monitoring detected the malicious actions.
   • Misconfigured Logs: Incomplete logging omitted certain events, such as data modifications.
2. Consequences:
   • Undetected Malicious Activity: Attackers can persist in the environment without detection.
   • Data Breach: Sensitive data can be accessed or modified without a trace.
   • Regulatory Non-Compliance: Lack of logs violates standards like GDPR or HIPAA.
3. Prevention Techniques:
   • Enable Full Logging:
     • AWS CloudTrail: Enable management and data events for all regions.bashCopyEditaws cloudtrail create-trail --name full-logging-trail --s3-bucket-name my-cloudtrail-logs
     • GCP Stackdriver: Enable comprehensive logging for all services.
   • Use Centralized Monitoring:
     • Integrate logs into a centralized system like AWS CloudWatch or GCP Operations Suite.
   • Set Up Alerts:
     • Configure alerts for suspicious activities, such as:
       • Unusual IAM role changes.
       • High-frequency API calls.
   • Enable Log Validation and Encryption:
     • Ensure logs are tamper-proof and encrypted using AWS KMS or GCP Key Management.

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Conclusion:

This exercise demonstrates how weak or misconfigured logging and monitoring allow attackers to perform malicious actions undetected. By enabling full logging, centralizing monitoring, and setting up real-time alerts, organizations can ensure better visibility and faster incident response.