The URL http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/iam/security-credentials/ is a specific type of callback URL that is used in Amazon Web Services (AWS) to retrieve security credentials for an instance. This URL is used by AWS to provide temporary security credentials to an instance, allowing it to access AWS resources securely.
The attacker obtains temporary AWS credentials. The URL http://169
When decoded, it points to the at the link-local IP address 169.254.169.254 . Accessing this specific path allows an attacker to extract temporary IAM security credentials directly from an EC2 instance, potentially leading to a full cloud account takeover. Anatomy of the Attack The URL http://169
curl http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/iam/security-credentials/MyAppRole The URL http://169
: Appending this path allows a user (or an attacker) to see the name of the IAM role attached to the instance.
