CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-003)Attacks and ExploitsHard
A penetration tester is evaluating an organization's cloud environment. They discover an S3 bucket named `company-internal-backups-2023` that is configured with public read access. The bucket contains several compressed archives and database dumps. Which type of cloud attack is this an example of?
- AServerless Function Injection
- BPublic Cloud Storage Misconfiguration
- CCloud Metadata Service Exploitation
- DContainer Escape
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Public Cloud Storage Misconfiguration
This scenario directly describes a Public Cloud Storage Misconfiguration. The S3 bucket, intended for internal backups, is publicly accessible, allowing unauthorized users to read potentially sensitive data. This is a common and critical vulnerability in cloud environments.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Serverless Function Injection involves injecting malicious code into serverless functions, which is a different type of attack.
- C. Cloud Metadata Service Exploitation involves leveraging SSRF to access instance metadata, not direct S3 bucket access.
- D. Container Escape involves breaking out of a container to access the underlying host system, which is unrelated to S3 bucket access.
Public Cloud Storage Misconfiguration
A common cloud security vulnerability where cloud storage resources (e.g., AWS S3 buckets, Azure Blob Storage) are inadvertently configured with overly permissive access controls, leading to public exposure of sensitive data.
- Often involves S3 buckets, Azure Blob, Google Cloud Storage.
- Results from incorrect ACLs, bucket policies, or IAM policies.
- Can lead to data breaches, sensitive information disclosure, and compliance violations.
Memory trick: Cloud attacks: Meta, Escape, Misconfig, Function – different ways clouds can fall.