Request-url-http-3a-2f-2f169.254.169.254-2flatest-2fmeta Data-2fiam-2fsecurity Credentials-2f Official

Note: Disabling IMDS breaks tools like AWS CLI, SDKs, and the EC2 launch scripts that rely on metadata. Test thoroughly.

request-url-http-3A-2F-2F169.254.169.254-2Flatest-2Fmeta data-2Fiam-2Fsecurity credentials-2F

The attack vector described by this keyword explicitly targets . IMDSv1 relies on simple, unauthenticated HTTP GET requests, making it highly susceptible to SSRF. Note: Disabling IMDS breaks tools like AWS CLI,

If an application is compromised via SSRF, the damage is capped by the permissions of the EC2 instance's IAM role. Ensure that EC2 instances only have the absolute minimum permissions required to perform their tasks. Never attach administrative or overly broad permissions to an instance profile. 4. WAF Rules and Monitoring

The provided URL is used to fetch temporary security credentials for an AWS EC2 instance. These credentials are part of AWS's effort to manage access to resources securely without needing to share long-term access keys. IMDSv1 relies on simple, unauthenticated HTTP GET requests,

The use of URL encoding (e.g., %3A for : , %2F for / ) is a standard evasion technique used to bypass Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or input sanitization logic that might be looking for the string 169.254.169.254 in plaintext.

The IMDSv2 workflow is a two-step process: Never attach administrative or overly broad permissions to

Even with protections in place, you should monitor for attempts to access the metadata endpoint.

: Accessing this path typically returns the name of the IAM role. Appending that role name to the URL (e.g., .../iam/security-credentials/ ) provides the access key, secret key, and session token. Security Context

http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/iam/security-credentials/

Enforce https:// protocols and explicitly ban link-local ( 169.254.0.0/16 ) and private IP ranges ( 10.0.0.0/8 , 172.16.0.0/12 , 192.168.0.0/16 ). 3. Apply the Principle of Least Privilege