WS1 - HackTheCloud26: Chaining Cloud Misconfigurations to Compromise Infrastructure

Instructed by: “HackeMate”

Level of Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate

Abstract:

HackTheCloud25 CTF Manager is an automated orchestration framework designed for the management of cloud cybersecurity challenges. It enables the deployment of intentionally vulnerable laboratories across AWS, Azure, and GCP using Terraform as the underlying Infrastructure-as-Code engine. The solution centralizes challenge definitions via YAML files, managing complex dependencies, dynamic variables, and resource outputs through a unified command-line interface (CLI) to list, deploy, destroy, and monitor resources in a controlled environment.

Furthermore, the framework incorporates environment validation, automated credential detection, detailed event logging, and support for reusable configurations, ensuring high scalability and traceability for complex attack scenarios. Collectively, the CTF Manager provides a reproducible and extensible approach to orchestrating practical cloud security exercises for educational purposes, streamlining the creation, operation, and maintenance of vulnerable infrastructures within dedicated testing environments.

Pre-Requisites:

·      Basic proficiency with the Linux command line and Python is required.

·      Attendees should have a foundational understanding of core AWS services (U3, EE2, IAM) and common web vulnerabilities such as SSRF and IDOR.

·      Familiarity with Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform) concepts is beneficial but not mandatory, as the environment orchestration is largely automated by the provided framework.