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Why Should You Do AWS Penetration Testing?

Jun 11, 2021

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As someone who uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for a range of purposes from data storage, business operations, to forming content, security and protection is key. Among security procedures, one of the most effective ones is definitely vulnerability assessment and penetration testing. So, why should you do AWS penetration testing periodically, comprehensively, and by experts?

The answer lies in the first line of this article - users of AWS data cannot be completely dependent on the protection from Amazon. These services dependent on cloud-based infrastructure are the purpose of your organization and hence, cannot be compromised. Any security flaw, misconfiguration or loophole can lead to disastrous events like data loss, exposure of company secrets and infrastructure, etc. Vulnerabilities in your AWS infrastructure can incur great costs for your organization if exploited.

Another reason is definitely meeting compliance standards of the industry through penetration testing. A meticulous AWS penetration testing helps you comply with government rules and regulations, and best practices of the industry including - SOC2, PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, HIPAA, etc. It is for these reasons that you should conduct detailed, correctly executed, and regular AWS penetration tests.

The Popularity of AWS - and the Difficulties

As cloud-based services gain recognition, platforms like AWS benefit from this due to the wide range of services they offer. It doesn’t come easy either, as individuals are required to be trained in successfully designing and implementing its functions and the necessary security. AWS hosted platforms need a certain level of skills to understand - and increase - its security.

Since AWS services majorly use Software as a Service (SaaS), a lot of them function on shared hosting with other tenants. Everyone uses the same resources and testing servers doesn’t happen as easily as under traditional pentesting. For example, Elastic Cloud Computing (EC2), one of the more popular AWS services, only allows the testing of few components;

  • Application’s server and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)

  • The technology stack (PHP, Python, Ruby, etc)

  • Web and mobile applications

  • Virtual machines and their operating systems


AWS policies are framed in such a manner that it isn’t easy to test any component that you want without taking prior permission. Jotting down boundaries for the testing is one of the most important steps for preparing for an AWS penetration testing process - the rest include

  • Type of penetration testing you’ll engage in - black, white, grey box testing (depending on access levels and prior information of the system)

  • Understanding the scope of testing with detailed aspects of AWS inventory, systems for targeting, IP addresses, etc

  • Defining expectations of testing, requirements, and time frames


Types of AWS Penetration Testing

For understanding the security of different aspects of AWS, such as the environment or potential security concerns, different types of testing should be done. These are:

1. In the cloud

Any systems, networks, or components of the cloud within that are not under the public eye get tested. A good example is servers hosting applications and the security infrastructure it possesses.

2. On the cloud

Any changes done on the external side that are visible to the customers, such as virtual systems being moved from a physical environment to the cloud.

3. Cloud Console

This testing will cover all aspects of the cloud, its flaws, or misconfigurations. It includes user accounts, permission levels, who gets to access what, etc.

Conducting all these tests will give you a fair idea of how secure your overall system is, the environment, and its components. You will also be able to understand the risks that exist within the system, how urgently they should be dealt with, and any other priorities.

What does AWS Penetration Testing focus on?

Let’s talk about S3 Bucket and IAM policies that require the most attention when it comes to AWS penetration testing from the customer’s side.

S3 Buckets of AWS are important for the customer because this is where data storage happens, hence requiring secure access at all times. Since portions of this need to be visible to the public, Amazon has relaxed security policies around this, which also makes it the target of cyberattacks. Some issues are;

  • Word-readable and word-writable buckets - anonymous users can access all data stored in the bucket in the former, and modify and/or upload data in the latter.

  • List-able content - anonymous users can see the details such as file names of the data stored in the bucket.


IAM (Identity and Access Management) policies allow you to decide who sees what and at what time. If access is based on individual, group, or roles, or users from EC2 instances or Lambda functions need access to multiple buckets, IAM helps you out.

Penetration testing AWS platforms, services, and components cannot be completely generalized since each situation is unique. It is also best that professionals deal with such situations to avoid mishaps and complications for your business. Astra Security is one of the trusted security companies experienced with AWS penetration tests, check out more details here.