-file-..-2f..-2f..-2f..-2fhome-2f-2a-2f.aws-2fcredentials

Prevention and Mitigation:

Next, they attempt to locate AWS credentials. The attacker knows that many cloud servers run as standard users ( ubuntu , ec2-user , centos ). So they use the wildcard trick:

Log and alert on repeated ../ patterns, access attempts to /etc/passwd , /.aws/credentials , or ~/.ssh/id_rsa . Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) to flag such requests. -file-..-2F..-2F..-2F..-2Fhome-2F-2A-2F.aws-2Fcredentials

Article title: "Understanding the Path Traversal Attack Pattern: -file-../../../../home/*/.aws/credentials - A Deep Dive into AWS Credential Theft"

aws s3 ls aws ec2 describe-instances --region us-east-1 Prevention and Mitigation: Next, they attempt to locate

The server opens /var/log/app/../../../../home/ec2-user/.aws/credentials → /home/ec2-user/.aws/credentials → credentials are returned.

: Deleting cloud resources or taking over the entire corporate AWS account. How Path Traversal Vulnerabilities Occur Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) to flag such requests

: On Linux-based operating systems, the /home directory houses the personal folders of all non-administrative system users.

Files like the .aws/credentials file contain sensitive information that, if exposed, can grant unauthorized access to cloud resources. This can lead to devastating consequences, including data breaches, financial loss, and reputational damage. When an attacker gains access to such files, they can use the contained credentials to access and manipulate sensitive data, create unauthorized resources, or even delete existing ones.

Do run your web application as root or a user that has access to home directories. The web server user (e.g., www-data ) should not be able to read /home/*/.aws/credentials . Even better, use containerization or virtualization to isolate the application from sensitive host files.

The exploitation of this vulnerability can occur through various means, including: