Abandoned AWS Cloud Storage: A Major Cyberattack Vector

Researchers at watchTowr discovered that abandoned cloud storage buckets (AWS S3) referenced in deployment code and update mechanisms can be re-registered by attackers and used to deliver malware, malicious updates, or backdoored templates; they registered ~150 such buckets for ~$400, enabled logging, and observed ~8 million requests over two months from government agencies, Fortune 100 companies, banks, and security vendors. The study highlights a severe supply-chain/abandoned-infrastructure weakness, and while the researchers did not deploy malware, the implications are high; AWS subsequently blocked re-creation of the identified buckets and advised customers on best practices.