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AWS S3 Rapid Bucket Posture API Calls from a Single Principal

Identifies when the same AWS principal, from the same source IP, successfully invokes read-only S3 control-plane APIs that reveal bucket posture across many buckets in a short period. This pattern can indicate…

Description

Identifies when the same AWS principal, from the same source IP, successfully invokes read-only S3 control-plane APIs that reveal bucket posture across many buckets in a short period. This pattern can indicate automated reconnaissance or security scanning, similar to CSPM tools and post-compromise enumeration. The rule excludes AWS service principals, requires programmatic-style sessions (not Management Console credentials), and requires populated resource and identity fields so nulls do not skew cardinality.

Detection logic

Its licence does not clear it for publishing here

Sunturai publishes a detection's own text where the licence it arrived under has been reviewed and permits it, and Elastic License 2.0 has not. The query as its source wrote it, its canonical form and the hash that pins this revision are in the workspace record.

Detection requirements

Platform
IaaSIdentity ProviderOffice SuiteSaaS

The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 4 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.

Known benign triggers

  • Legitimate security scanners, CSPM products, compliance jobs, and inventory automation may call the same read-only bucket APIs across many buckets quickly. Verify the principal ARN, source IP, user agent, and schedule against known approved tooling before treating the activity as malicious.

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