Sunturai
Back to results
MediumElastic detection rulesElastic

AWS EC2 Export Task

Identifies successful export tasks of EC2 instances via the APIs CreateInstanceExportTask, ExportImage, or CreateStoreImageTask. These exports can be used by administrators for legitimate VM migration or backup…

Description

Identifies successful export tasks of EC2 instances via the APIs CreateInstanceExportTask, ExportImage, or CreateStoreImageTask. These exports can be used by administrators for legitimate VM migration or backup workflows however, an attacker with access to an EC2 instance or AWS credentials can export a VM or its image and then transfer it off-account for exfiltration of data.

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.

Sign in to read itCreate an account

Detection requirements

Platform
ESXiIaaSLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesOffice SuiteSaaSWindows

The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 5 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.

Log source category
event_index

Known benign triggers

  • VM export and EC2 image creation may be done by system administrators, DevOps or migration teams as part of planned maintenance, disaster-recovery or known backup methods. Verify whether the user identity, user agent, and/or hostname should be making changes in your environment. Exports from unfamiliar users or hosts should be investigated. If known behavior is causing false positives, it can be exempted from the rule.

Detections can measure how the public catalogue is used — which detections people look for, and which pages bring them here. It sets a cookie that recognises this browser for 180 days. It is never linked to an account and never follows you to other sites. Privacy notice