Techniques › T1021 › T1021.008
T1021.008 Direct Cloud VM Connections
lateral movement — IaaS · attack.mitre.org · JSON
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MITRE detection strategy
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analytics
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Sigma rules tagged attack.t1021.008
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KEV CVEs mapped here
<p>Adversaries may leverage Valid Accounts to log directly into accessible cloud hosted compute infrastructure through cloud native methods. Many cloud providers offer interactive connections to virtual infrastructure that can be accessed through the Cloud API, such as Azure Serial Console, AWS EC2 Instance Connect, and AWS System Manager..</p><p>Methods of authentication for these connections can include passwords, application access tokens, or SSH keys. These cloud native methods may, by default, allow for privileged access on the host with SYSTEM or root level access.</p><p>Adversaries may utilize these cloud native methods to directly access virtual infrastructure and pivot through an environment. These connections typically provide direct console access to the VM rather than the execution of scripts (i.e., Cloud Administration Command).</p>
KEV CVEs mapped to this technique · CTID Mappings Explorer
None. No KEV entry in the public mapping names this technique. Given that 74.7% of KEV has no mapping at all, this says more about the mapping than about the technique.
Detection strategy · ATT&CK Enterprise v19.2
- DET0211 Detection of Direct VM Console Access via Cloud-Native Methods v1.0
AN0594 IaaSDirect login to cloud-hosted virtual machines via cloud-native access methods (e.g., EC2 Instance Connect, Azure Serial Console, SSM), followed by command execution or privilege escalation on the VMAWS:CloudTrail
SendSSHPublicKey, StartSession (SSM), EC2InstanceConnect→ DC0067 Logon Session CreationTunable:TimeWindowCloudAuthMethodSessionOriginRegionTargetInstanceTags
Sigma rules · SigmaHQ da9bb07d64, tag attack.t1021.008
No Sigma rule carries this tag. MITRE publishes a detection strategy above, so the behaviour is specified; what is missing is public detection content.
Rules tagged at the parent level (attack.t1021) 11
These target the parent technique, not this sub-technique specifically. Listed for completeness, not counted as coverage.
Author: Security Onion Solutions
· 2024-03-08 · logsource: product=opencanary category=application · 22777c9e-873a-4b49-855f-6072ab861a52
Detects instances where an SMB service on an OpenCanary node has had a file open request.
Author: Security Onion Solutions
· 2024-03-08 · logsource: product=opencanary category=application · 6991bc2b-ae2e-447f-bc55-3a1ba04c14e5
Detects instances where an FTP service on an OpenCanary node has had a login attempt.
Author: omkar72
· 2020-10-30 (modified 2023-02-28) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 730fc21b-eaff-474b-ad23-90fd265d4988
Detects user accept agreement execution in psexec commandline
Author: Chirag Damani
· 2026-03-29 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 7638e5fe-600c-4289-a968-f49dd537ec7d
Detects execution of the hacktool NetExec.
NetExec (formerly CrackMapExec) is a widely used post-exploitation tool designed for Active Directory penetration testing and network enumeration
In enterprise environments, the use of NetExec is considered suspicious or potentially malicious because it enables attackers to enumerate hosts, exploit network services, and move laterally across systems.
Threat actors and red teams commonly use NetExec to identify vulnerable systems, harvest credentials, and execute commands remotely.
Author: Tim Rauch, Elastic (idea)
· 2022-09-27 · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 8a3038e8-9c9d-46f8-b184-66234a160f6f
Detects potential use of an SSH utility to establish RDP over a reverse SSH Tunnel. This can be used by attackers to enable routing of network packets that would otherwise not reach their intended destination.
Author: Tim Rauch, Elastic (idea)
· 2022-09-27 (modified 2022-12-30) · logsource: product=windows category=process_creation · 9bd04a79-dabe-4f1f-a5ff-92430265c96b
Detects a remote file copy attempt to a hidden network share. This may indicate lateral movement or data staging activity.
Author: Security Onion Solutions
· 2024-03-08 · logsource: product=opencanary category=application · 9db5446c-b44a-4291-8b89-fcab5609c3b3
Detects instances where a VNC service on an OpenCanary node has had a connection attempt.
Author: Security Onion Solutions
· 2024-03-08 · logsource: product=opencanary category=application · cd55f721-5623-4663-bd9b-5229cab5237d
Detects instances where an SSH service on an OpenCanary node has had a connection attempt.
Author: Security Onion Solutions
· 2024-03-08 · logsource: product=opencanary category=application · e9856028-fd4e-46e6-b3d1-10f7ceb95078
Detects instances where an SNMP service on an OpenCanary node has had an OID request.
Author: Josh Nickels
· 2024-05-10 · logsource: product=windows category=network_connection · fda34293-718e-4b36-b018-38caab0d1209
Detects an RDP connection originating from a domain controller.
Author: Security Onion Solutions
· 2024-03-08 · logsource: product=opencanary category=application · ff7139bc-fdb1-4437-92f2-6afefe8884cb
Detects instances where an SSH service on an OpenCanary node has had a login attempt.