Taking Over VMs the Cloud-native Ways - Understanding VM Security in AWS, Azure, and GCP

Explore cloud security vulnerabilities and attack vectors targeting virtual machines (VMs) in this technical conference talk from fwd:cloudsec. Gain deep insights from Cloud Security Researcher Jay Chen as he examines various techniques attackers use to compromise VMs across AWS, Azure, and GCP environments. Learn how malicious actors exploit cloud APIs and legitimate features like startup scripts, cloud agents, and SSH key manipulation to gain unauthorized VM access without traditional credentials. Understand the specific conditions and configurations that enable these attacks across different cloud platforms, and discover essential strategies for identifying and mitigating these security risks. Drawing from extensive research experience in cloud security at Prisma Cloud and Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, examine the critical importance of protecting VM resources that continue to host vital cloud workloads despite newer technologies emerging.