Pentera Labs analyzed the risks of AWS Systems Manager (SSM) in hybrid environments, where it helps manage cloud and on-premises resources but also creates security gaps. Attackers exploit SSM’s elevated privileges, trusted communication channels, and AWS-signed binaries to evade detection, move laterally, and persist in networks. Real-world scenarios show how phishing or credential theft enables attackers to abuse SSM agents on-prem to steal data, bypass firewalls, and extract SSH keys. To mitigate risks, organizations should enforce least-privilege IAM roles, rotate and encrypt credentials, monitor local SSM accounts, and enable detailed CloudTrail logging.

Join for free to read