In this lesson, we will learn
about the Cloud Attack Surface.
The Cloud Attack Surface consists
of the vulnerabilities and entry points associated
with an organization's internal
and external cloud infrastructure.
Cloud Attack Surface concepts
include the enumeration and discovery
of internally facing assets, the enumeration and discovery
of externally facing assets, cloud services discovery,
and malicious cloud services and daemons.
The enumeration and discovery
of internally facing assets involves identifying,
and assessing cloud-based resources that are accessible
only within the organization's network.
Next, the enumeration and discovery
of externally facing assets focuses
on cloud resources that are publicly accessible.
Then we have cloud services discovery,
which involves identifying,
mapping, and cataloging all cloud services in use
to identify potential vulnerabilities
or misconfigurations that could be exploited.
Finally, services and daemons are background processes
and programs that run continuously
in the background to manage system functions.
Malicious services and daemons
can lead to unauthorized access,
persistent backdoors, or the execution of harmful actions
within the system, allowing attackers to maintain control,
or disrupt operations without detection.
Let's learn more about the enumeration
and discovery of internally facing assets,
the enumeration and discovery of externally facing assets,
cloud services discovery,
and malicious cloud services and daemons.
The enumeration and discovery of internally facing assets
involves identifying cloud-based resources
that are accessible only
within an organization's network, such as databases,
virtual machines, application servers, storage systems,
and internal application programming interfaces, or APIs.
These assets contain sensitive data,
and support essential business functions,
generally remaining hidden from public access.
However, if misconfigured,
these internal resources
can unintentionally become accessible,
presenting a serious security risk
within the cloud environment.
A prime example of this risk is seen in the 2023 U.S.
No-Fly List leak, where an internal server belonging
to the airline Commute Air was allegedly left unprotected,
and accessible to the public.
This alleged misconfigured server contained sensitive data,
including a version of the U.S. No-Fly List,
which was never meant to be accessible outside
of authorized personnel.
The lack of access restrictions allowed anyone
with the server's IP address to access
and download the information,
underscoring the risks of misconfigured internal assets.
So, to prevent such exposures,
organizations can use cloud management tools
like AWS Config,
or Azure Policy to enforce configuration compliance
and quickly detect potential exposure.
Additionally, regular security assessments,
and internal audits ensure
that only authorized users can access these assets,
strengthening security and reducing
the risk of accidental exposure.
Second, we have the enumeration
and discovery of externally facing assets.
Externally facing assets refer to cloud resources
that are accessible to the public,
such as web applications, APIs,
public storage buckets, DNS servers,
and content delivery networks, or CDNs.
These assets are a prime target for attackers,
since they can be and are meant to be accessed
without internal network restrictions.
Identifying and securing these publicly accessible assets
reduces the cloud attack surface,
as any vulnerability
in these resources could be exploited by external threats.
Externally facing assets are especially important
for enterprise networks
because they directly handle user interactions
and data exchange.
For instance, a company might have a public API
that allows customers to access certain services.
If this API is misconfigured or has weak authentication,
it could expose sensitive internal customer information
to attackers.
Organizations can mitigate risk to these assets
by using tools like Shodan, Census,
or even native cloud solutions
such as AWS Inspector and Google Cloud Security Scanner
to regularly scan and monitor their public cloud resources.
Also, implementing strict access controls,
such as OAuth for APIs and public cloud resources,
and regularly applying updates
and patches help safeguard these assets.
Third, we have cloud services discovery.
Cloud services discovery involves
cataloging all cloud services
an organization uses
to identify potential security vulnerabilities,
or misconfigurations.
This process includes tracking storage, compute, networking,
and software services in multi-cloud environments,
which helps maintain visibility into every active service
and its associated security posture.
Properly identifying these services is essential
because undiscovered or misconfigured services
can unintentionally expose sensitive data,
or critical functions to potential attackers.
For enterprises, cloud services discovery
ensures comprehensive oversight of cloud resources,
especially as many organizations
use multiple cloud providers
for various functions.
For example, an organization may unknowingly have
misconfigured a database in their cloud environment due
to overlooking permissions,
potentially exposing sensitive
information to unintended users.
So, mitigating risks in cloud services discovery involves
using cloud security posture
management tools like Prisma Cloud,
Lacework, or native services like AWS CloudTrail.
These tools, and those like them,
automate cloud service inventory management
and monitor configurations for potential vulnerabilities,
helping organizations maintain a secure cloud environment
by providing alerts on suspicious changes
and misconfigurations.
Fourth and last, we have malicious cloud services
and daemons.
Malicious cloud services and daemons are unauthorized,
or harmful background processes
that can lead to unauthorized access,
persistent backdoors,
or the execution of malicious actions within a cloud system.
These services may appear as legitimate processes
but can allow attackers to maintain control
of cloud resources,
exfiltrate data, or disrupt operations without detection.
Identifying and managing
these malicious services prevents compromise
to critical cloud infrastructure,
which could lead to long-term security issues.
For an enterprise,
malicious daemons are particularly harmful,
as they may evade standard monitoring tools
and persist undetected.
For instance, an attacker might install a malicious daemon
within a compromised virtual machine,
which periodically sends sensitive data
to an external server
without alerting the standard monitoring solutions.
So, to mitigate these risks,
organizations can use advanced threat
detection tools like CrowdStrike,
AWS GuardDuty, or Azure Security Center,
which continuously monitor for unusual process behavior
and network traffic in cloud environments.
Additionally, regularly conducting forensic investigations,
and implementing endpoint detection,
and response solutions can help detect
and remove malicious services
before they cause harm.
So, remember, the cloud attack surface
includes all vulnerabilities and access points
within an organization's cloud infrastructure,
both internal and external.
It involves discovering,
and securing internally facing assets,
which are accessible only within the network,
and externally facing assets,
which are publicly available and more vulnerable to attack.
Additionally, cloud services discovery entails cataloging
all cloud services in use to identify any misconfigurations,
or unmonitored services that could lead to exposure.
Finally, malicious cloud services and daemons,
or harmful background processes,
pose another significant threat
as they can operate undetected and disrupt,
or compromise cloud operations
without being noticed.
So, each component of the cloud attack surface requires
consistent monitoring to detect and secure any weaknesses.
And, by using specialized tools and regular audits,
organizations can maintain a more secure
and resilient cloud environment,
reducing their exposure to threats.