Growing Threat of Identity Attacks in Cloud Computing | Part 1 of 3 | Cy5

As the cloud computing continues to lead the business operations, the identity attack surface has become one of the most critical areas of concern for security professionals and leaders. As organizations increasingly migrate to cloud environments, the reliance on identity and access management (#IAM) systems has grown exponentially. However, this shift has also exposed organizations to a new wave of identity-based attacks, such as stolen credentials, impersonation, and man-in-the-middle (#MITM) attacks. 

Identity management is the cornerstone of cloud security, especially with the rise of *multi-factor authentication (MFA) and password-based systems. Yet, despite advancements in authentication technologies, attackers continue to exploit vulnerabilities in these systems, often targeting the weakest link: human behavior. This blog delves into the growing threat of identity attacks in cloud computing, explores why cloud environments are particularly vulnerable, and provides actionable mitigation strategies for security leaders.

Common Identity-Based Attacks in Cloud Computing

1. Stolen Password Attacks

Stolen passwords remain one of the most prevalent attack vectors in cloud environments. Attackers use various techniques to compromise credentials, including:

• Brute Force Attacks: Attackers use automated tools to guess passwords by trying every possible combination. For example, tools like Hydra or John the Ripper are commonly used to brute force weak passwords.

hydra -l admin -P passwords.txt login.cloudprovider.com http-post-form "/auth:username=^USER^&password=^PASS^:F=incorrect"        

This command attempts to brute force a web login using a list of passwords.

• Keyloggers: Malware installed on a user's device captures keystrokes, including passwords. For instance, a keylogger could capture credentials entered into a cloud service like AWS Management Console or Microsoft Azure Portal.
• Phishing: Attackers trick users into revealing their credentials through fake login pages. For example, a phishing email might mimic a Google Workspace login page, redirecting users to a malicious site.

2. Impersonation Attacks

Impersonation attacks, such as Business Email Compromise (BEC) or CEO fraud, involve attackers posing as legitimate users to gain access to sensitive systems. For example:

• An attacker compromises a CEO's email account and sends a fraudulent request to the finance team to transfer funds.
• In cloud environments, attackers may impersonate administrators to gain access to critical resources, such as AWS S3 buckets or Azure Virtual Machines.

3. Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks

MITM attacks occur when an attacker intercepts communication between a user and a cloud service. For example:

• An attacker could exploit an insecure Wi-Fi network to intercept credentials entered into a Salesforce login page.
• Tools like Wireshark or Ettercap can be used to capture unencrypted traffic:

(Bash Command)

ettercap -T -i eth0 -M arp /192.168.1.1// /192.168.1.2//        

This command performs an ARP spoofing attack to intercept traffic between two devices.

Why Cloud Environments Are Vulnerable

1. Reliance on Usernames and Passwords

Despite the availability of advanced authentication methods, many organizations still rely on usernames and passwords, which are often weak or reused. For example:

• A study found that 80% of data breaches involve compromised credentials, often due to weak passwords like 123456 or password.
• Cloud service providers (CSPs) like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud enforce password policies, but users often bypass these by reusing passwords across multiple accounts.

2. Centralized Systems as Single Points of Failure

CSPs store sensitive information, such as user credentials and encryption keys, in centralized systems like AWS IAM or Azure Active Directory. While these systems are designed for scalability, they also present a single point of failure. For example:

• A compromised admin account in AWS IAM could grant attackers access to all resources within an organization's cloud environment.
• In 2021, a misconfigured Azure Active Directory allowed attackers to access sensitive data from multiple organizations.

3. The Human Factor

Human behavior remains one of the biggest vulnerabilities in cloud security. For example:

• Users often write down passwords or share them with colleagues, increasing the risk of credential theft.
• Social engineering attacks exploit human psychology to trick users into revealing sensitive information. For instance, an attacker might pose as IT support and ask for a user's Google Workspace credentials.

Mitigation Strategies

1. Enforce Self-Managed MFA for Critical Actions

MFA adds an additional layer of security by requiring users to provide two or more verification factors. But many organizations fail to enforce it for high-risk actions—like changing account credentials or disabling security controls. Attackers exploit this gap to escalate privileges silently. For example:

• AWS Policy (From AWS Docs)

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Sid": "AllowViewAccountInfo",
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": "iam:ListVirtualMFADevices",
            "Resource": "*"
        },
        {
            "Sid": "AllowManageOwnVirtualMFADevice",
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "iam:CreateVirtualMFADevice"
            ],
            "Resource": "arn:aws:iam::*:mfa/*"
        },
        {
            "Sid": "AllowManageOwnUserMFA",
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "iam:DeactivateMFADevice",
                "iam:EnableMFADevice",
                "iam:GetUser",
                "iam:GetMFADevice",
                "iam:ListMFADevices",
                "iam:ResyncMFADevice"
            ],
            "Resource": "arn:aws:iam::*:user/${aws:username}"
        },
        {
            "Sid": "DenyAllExceptListedIfNoMFA",
            "Effect": "Deny",
            "NotAction": [
                "iam:CreateVirtualMFADevice",
                "iam:EnableMFADevice",
                "iam:GetUser",
                "iam:ListMFADevices",
                "iam:ListVirtualMFADevices",
                "iam:ResyncMFADevice",
                "sts:GetSessionToken"
            ],
            "Resource": "*",
            "Condition": {
                "BoolIfExists": {"aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent": "false"}
            }
        }
    ]
}        

This AWS IAM policy enforces MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) by allowing users to view, create, and manage their own MFA devices, while blocking all other actions unless MFA is active. It ensures security by letting users self-service MFA setup but restricts non-MFA access to critical operations.

• Key effect: No AWS API/CLI access without MFA, except for basic MFA setup steps.

Check out a detailed explanation of AWS MFA from the FAQs.

2. Behavior Recognition

Behavior recognition analyzes user behavior patterns, such as typing speed, mouse movements, and device usage, to detect anomalies. For example:

• Microsoft Azure AD Identity Protection uses machine learning to detect suspicious login attempts based on user behavior.
• A user logging in from a new device or location might trigger a step-up authentication request.

3. Encryption and Secure Communication Protocols

Encrypting data in transit and at rest is critical to protecting against MITM attacks. For example:

• Use TLS 1.3 to encrypt communication between users and cloud services.
• Ensure that AWS S3 buckets are configured to use server-side encryption (SSE):

(Bash Command)

aws s3api put-bucket-encryption --bucket example-bucket --server-side-encryption-configuration '{
    "Rules": [
      {
        "ApplyServerSideEncryptionByDefault": {
          "SSEAlgorithm": "AES256"
        }
      }
    ]
  }'        

This command enables SSE for an S3 bucket.

4. Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM)

CIEM solutions, like those integrated into Cy5’s platform, continuously monitor and remediate excessive permissions across multi-cloud environments.

• Least Privilege Enforcement: Automatically revoke unnecessary IAM permissions.
• Entitlement Visibility: Real-time dashboards showing over privileged accounts.
• Policy-as-Code: Define and enforce guardrails for AWS IAM, Azure AD, and GCP.

5. Advanced Threat Detection with AI & UEBA

Cy5 leverages User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) to detect anomalies like:

• Impossible travel (logins from geographically distant locations).
• Unusual API call patterns (e.g., sudden mass data downloads).
• Privilege escalation attempts.

Example:

A DevOps engineer’s account suddenly requests iam:PutRolePolicy at 3 AM—Cy5’s UEBA flags this as high-risk and triggers an automated response.

6. SIEM Integration for Real-Time Monitoring

Cy5’s platform integrates with SIEM tools (Splunk, Sentinel, Chronicle) to correlate identity threats with broader attack surfaces:

• Centralized Logging: Aggregate AWS CloudTrail, Azure AD, and Okta logs.
• Automated Threat Hunting: Pre-built detection rules for credential stuffing, brute force attacks, and token theft.

A snap of prominent SIEM-Cloud Security Tool

Conclusion

The identity attack surface in cloud computing is a growing threat that requires immediate attention from security professionals and leaders. Stolen passwords, impersonation attacks, and MITM attacks are just a few examples of the risks organizations face in cloud environments. By adopting multi-factor authentication (MFA), leveraging behavior recognition, and implementing encryption and secure communication protocols, organizations can significantly reduce their exposure to identity-based attacks.

Security leaders must also prioritize user education and awareness to address the human factor, which remains one of the biggest vulnerabilities in cloud security. As cloud adoption continues to grow, securing the identity attack surface will be critical to protecting sensitive data and maintaining trust in cloud services.

By staying ahead of these threats and implementing robust security measures, organizations can ensure that their cloud environments remain secure, resilient, and compliant with industry standards.