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CyberWire Daily

AMBERSQUID hides in the depths. [Research Saturday]

Oct 21, 2023
Sysdig's researchers discuss their work on the AMBERSQUID Cloud-Native Cryptojacking Operation, targeting supposedly secure AWS services. The operation exploits services without triggering AWS resource approval, posing challenges in finding and eliminating miners. The podcast covers the tactics and strategies used by attackers for crypto mining, the challenges of detecting malicious services in AWS environments, and highlights the research conducted by Sysdig.
17:37

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • AMBERSQUID operation targets AWS's lesser-used services for cryptojacking, bypassing typical threat detection.
  • Identifying and investigating all the miners running across multiple services and regions poses a significant challenge for defenders.

Deep dives

Crypto Jacking Operation Exploiting AWS Services

In this podcast episode, researchers discuss a crypto jacking operation called the Amber Squid, which targets lesser-used AWS services rather than the more commonly targeted EC2. The attackers spin up resources in victims' AWS environments and use them to mine various cryptocurrencies. By spreading their activity across different services and regions, they aim to avoid detection. The attackers leverage legitimate AWS services like Fargate, CodeBuild, Amplify, and SageMaker, which offer runtime capabilities that bypass typical threat detection. Monitoring usage and implementing strong security measures, along with understanding if services are supposed to be running, are recommended for protection.

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