Cloudsquatting
Cloudsquatting is a malicious technique where attackers exploit the trust users have in well-known cloud service providers to trick them into accessing malicious resources. It leverages the popularity and widespread use of cloud services like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Here's how it works:
Mimicking Legitimate Services: Attackers create resources with names very similar to popular cloud services or tools. For example, they might make an AWS S3 bucket called "googl-drive" or an Azure blob storage container named "awss3-backup".
Exploiting User Error: Users, often due to typos, misconfigurations, or lack of awareness, might accidentally access these malicious resources instead of the legitimate ones.
Delivering Malicious Payloads: These resources can host malware and phishing pages or be used to steal sensitive data.
Cloudsquatting in the Cybersecurity Context:
Cloudsquatting is a significant cybersecurity threat because:
Exploits Trust: Users inherently trust cloud providers, making them less likely to scrutinize resource names closely.
Bypass Security Measures: Traditional security tools might not flag these resources as malicious because they reside within trusted cloud environments.
Enables Data Breaches: Attackers can gain access to sensitive data stored in cloud services or intercept data in transit.
Facilitates Malware Distribution: Users might unknowingly download and execute malware hosted on cloudsquatted resources.
Examples:
A developer mistakenly uses a typosquatted S3 bucket name in their code. This leads to sensitive customer data being uploaded to the attacker's bucket instead of the intended one.
An employee tries to access a shared file on "micosoft-onedrive" (a typosquatted Azure blob storage container) and downloads malware disguised as a legitimate document.
Mitigating Cloudsquatting:
Strong Naming Conventions: Enforce clear and unique naming conventions for cloud resources to minimize the risk of confusion.
Access Controls: Implement strict access controls to limit who can create and modify cloud resources.
Security Awareness Training: Educate users about cloudsquatting and encourage them to double-check resource names.
Cloud Security Tools: Use cloud-native security tools and services to detect and prevent suspicious activity within your cloud environment.
By understanding the risks of cloudsquatting and taking proactive measures, organizations can strengthen their cloud security posture and protect their valuable data.
ThreatNG has robust capabilities that can effectively help organizations detect and mitigate cloudsquatting attempts. Here's how its various modules contribute:
1. Identifying Potentially Malicious Cloud Resources:
Cloud Service Impersonations: This module actively scans for cloud resources (like S3 buckets, Azure blob containers, etc.) with names resembling legitimate services or your organization's cloud assets. This helps identify potential cloudsquatting attempts designed to trick users or developers.
Unsanctioned Cloud Services: Detects the use of cloud services that haven't been approved by the organization, which could indicate malicious activity or shadow IT that might be vulnerable to cloudsquatting.
Domain Name Permutations: While primarily focused on domains, this module can also generate variations of common cloud service names and check if they are being used suspiciously.
2. Analyzing Suspicious Cloud Resources:
Open Exposed Cloud Buckets: This module analyzes the security configurations of identified cloud storage resources. If a bucket or container with a suspicious name has lax permissions or is publicly accessible, it raises a red flag.
Exposed Public Code Repositories: Scans code repositories for hardcoded cloud resource names. This can help identify potential misconfigurations or instances where developers might accidentally use a cloudsquatted resource.
3. Monitoring for Exploitation Attempts:
Dark Web Presence: ThreatNG monitors the dark web for mentions of your organization or its cloud resources, which could indicate active exploitation attempts or data breaches related to cloudsquatting.
Data Leak Susceptibility: This score assesses your organization's vulnerability to data leaks, including those that might result from cloudsquatting.
4. Continuous Monitoring and Reporting:
Continuous Monitoring: ThreatNG monitors your cloud environment for new or suspicious resources, providing real-time alerts when potential threats are detected.
Executive Reporting: Provides high-level summaries of cloudsquatting risks and trends.
Technical Reporting: Offers detailed information for security teams to investigate and remediate cloudsquatting incidents.
How ThreatNG Works with Complementary Solutions:
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Tools: Integrate ThreatNG's findings with CSPM tools to better understand your cloud security posture and identify misconfigurations that could make you vulnerable to cloudsquatting.
Cloud-Native Security Tools: Use cloud provider's security tools (like AWS Security Hub, Azure Security Center, or Google Cloud Security Command Center) in conjunction with ThreatNG to leverage their native threat detection and prevention capabilities.
Examples:
Scenario: ThreatNG discovers an AWS S3 bucket named "company-data-backup" (a common and potentially impersonated name) that is publicly accessible.
Action: ThreatNG alerts the organization, highlighting the risk of data exposure and potential cloudsquatting. The security team then secures the bucket with appropriate access controls.
Scenario: ThreatNG identifies a suspicious Azure blob container named "important-files" with lax permissions.
Action: The organization investigates the container, discovers it contains malware, and takes steps to remove it and secure its Azure environment.
Key Takeaway:
ThreatNG's external attack surface management capabilities and cloud security monitoring features provide a strong defense against cloudsquatting. Proactively identifying and analyzing suspicious cloud resources helps organizations protect their data, infrastructure, and reputation from this emerging threat.
