Cloud Instance Metadata Credential Path HTTP Request
Detects HTTP GET requests to the link-local instance metadata service (169.254.169.254) for cloud credential or token paths on AWS, GCP, or Azure. Adversaries and vulnerable workloads use scripts, shells, or…
Description
Detects HTTP GET requests to the link-local instance metadata service (169.254.169.254) for cloud credential or token paths on AWS, GCP, or Azure. Adversaries and vulnerable workloads use scripts, shells, or application runtimes to read IAM role credentials or OAuth tokens from the metadata API. Requires the Network Packet Capture integration with HTTP decoding on ports 80 and 443 and process enrichment enabled so "process.*" fields are present.
Detection logic
Its licence does not clear it for publishing here
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Detection requirements
- Platform
- ContainersIaaSIdentity ProviderLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesOffice SuiteSaaSWindows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the ATT&CK technique it maps to.
- Log source category
- event_index
Known benign triggers
- Cloud agents (SSM, waagent, cloud-init, instance connect) and authorized scanners may reach the same paths during provisioning or health checks. Exclude known agent user agents, source hosts, or parent processes after baselining.
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
0 exclusive techniques.This is coverage no other published rule has; it is not this rule's total technique count.
References
| Reference | Cited by |
|---|---|
| hackingthe.cloud/aws/general-knowledge/intro_metadata_service/ | 4 |
| www.elastic.co/docs/reference/integrations/network_traffic | 3 |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- 73dd1f2c-3c24-4e13-a64b-dfd510e9fd98
- Tagged by the source as
- Data Source: Network Packet CaptureDomain: CloudDomain: NetworkNoise: UnknownOS: LinuxOS: macOSOS: WindowsPerformance: FastPlatform: LinuxPlatform: macOSPlatform: WindowsProfile: RecommendedResources: Investigation GuideRule Type: Event Correlation (EQL)Tactic: Credential AccessThreat: IMDS Credential TheftUse Case: Threat Detection
Licence
- Published under
- Elastic License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Sep 20, 2026
- Version
- 3