skills.rest
Yenn503
Yenn503COMMUNITY
Explore all skills by this author →
WebsiteGitHub

performing-cloud-penetration-testing-with-pacu

Performs authorized AWS penetration testing with Pacu to enumerate IAM and find privilege escalation paths.

1|1|Updated Apr 3, 2026
Search Tags:#aws#penetration testing#iam#privilege escalation#cloud security#red team#pacu
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/Yenn503/Net-Runners --skill performing-cloud-penetration-testing-with-pacu-yenn503
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: performing-cloud-penetration-testing-with-pacu
Source: https://github.com/Yenn503/Net-Runners/tree/main/.netrunner/skills/infra/performing-cloud-penetration-testing-with-pacu
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Yenn503/Net-Runners --skill performing-cloud-penetration-testing-with-pacu-yenn503

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires pacu.

What problem does it solve? Security teams need a structured way to validate whether AWS IAM configurations, permission boundaries, and detection controls actually hold up against a compromised-credential scenario, rather than assuming policies are safe on paper. ## Core Features & Use Cases - IAM Enumeration and Mapping: Uses Pacu modules to enumerate users, roles, policies, groups, and effective permissions of test credentials. - Privilege Escalation Scanning: Runs Pacu's privesc scanner covering 21+ escalation methods such as iam:PassRole with Lambda, EC2, or CloudFormation. - Detection Validation: Checks whether GuardDuty, Security Hub, and CloudWatch alarms detected the simulated attack activity. - Use Case: A red team simulates a leaked developer access key, escalates from read-only S3 access to full admin via iam:PassRole plus lambda:CreateFunction, then measures SOC detection and response time. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to run an authorized Pacu assessment against the test AWS account, starting with IAM enumeration and a privilege escalation scan, then report escalation paths and GuardDuty detection results.

Frequently Asked Questions about performing-cloud-penetration-testing-with-pacu

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I run an AWS penetration test with Pacu?▼

Install Pacu with pip, start a session, set test credentials with set_keys, then run modules like iam__enum_permissions and iam__privesc_scan. Always obtain written authorization and enable CloudTrail before testing.

What privilege escalation methods does Pacu scan for?▼

Pacu's iam__privesc_scan tests over 21 escalation methods, including iam:PassRole combined with Lambda, EC2, or CloudFormation, iam:CreatePolicyVersion, iam:CreateAccessKey, and sts:AssumeRole.

Can Pacu testing be detected by GuardDuty?▼

Yes, Pacu activity generates GuardDuty findings such as Recon:IAMUser/MaliciousIPCaller because modules make many API calls quickly. Coordinate with the SOC to whitelist testing IPs or establish communication channels.

When should I not use Pacu for AWS testing?▼

Do not use Pacu without written authorization from the account owner, against AWS infrastructure itself, for DDoS attacks without AWS approval, or in production accounts without explicit authorization and breakglass procedures.

What tools complement Pacu for AWS security assessment?▼

CloudFox enumerates attack paths from an attacker perspective, Principal Mapper visualizes IAM escalation graphs, and ScoutSuite identifies misconfigurations before active testing begins.

Related Skills

Explore More Software Engineering Skills→
xalgordxalgord
954

performing-cloud-penetration-testing-with-pacu

Performs authorized AWS penetration testing with Pacu to enumerate IAM and validate privilege escalation paths.

Community
Advanced
jaskaranhundaljaskaranhundal
3

identity-access-risk

Analyze AWS IAM anomalies and privilege escalation attempts from CloudTrail logs.

Community
Advanced
YukiIto1999YukiIto1999

performing-aws-privilege-escalation-assessment

Identify IAM misconfigurations enabling privilege escalation in AWS environments.

Community
Advanced
xalgordxalgord
954

performing-aws-privilege-escalation-assessment

Identify AWS IAM privilege escalation paths using Pacu, CloudFox, and Principal Mapper.

Community
Advanced