| name | cloud-audit |
| description | Cloud and container security auditing workflow using prowler, trivy, kube-hunter, and docker-bench for AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, and container images |
cloud-audit
Cloud and container security auditing workflow for NyxStrike. Use this skill when a user wants to audit AWS/Azure/GCP configurations, scan container images for CVEs, assess a Kubernetes cluster, or check Docker host security.
Workflow
AWS / Azure / GCP audit (prowler)
Prowler runs hundreds of compliance checks against cloud provider APIs.
AWS (default profile):
run_tool(tool="prowler", provider="aws", profile="default")
AWS with specific region and checks:
run_tool(tool="prowler", provider="aws",
profile="default",
region="us-east-1",
checks="s3,iam,ec2")
Azure:
run_tool(tool="prowler", provider="azure",
additional_args="--az-cli-auth")
GCP:
run_tool(tool="prowler", provider="gcp",
additional_args="--project-id <gcp_project_id>")
Key prowler check categories:
| Category | Checks |
|---|
iam | Overprivileged roles, unused access keys, MFA |
s3 | Public buckets, encryption, logging |
ec2 | Security groups, IMDSv2, public snapshots |
rds | Encryption, public access, backups |
cloudtrail | Logging enabled, log validation |
guardduty | Threat detection enabled |
Container image vulnerability scan (trivy)
Scan a container image for CVEs, secrets, and misconfigurations:
# Scan a Docker image
run_tool(tool="trivy", target="<image>:<tag>", scan_type="image")
# Filter by severity
run_tool(tool="trivy", target="nginx:latest",
scan_type="image",
severity="HIGH,CRITICAL")
# Scan a local filesystem
run_tool(tool="trivy", target="/path/to/project", scan_type="fs")
# Scan a running container
run_tool(tool="trivy", target="<container_id>", scan_type="image")
Docker host security benchmark (docker_bench)
Check the Docker host and daemon configuration against CIS Docker Benchmark:
run_tool(tool="docker_bench")
Focus areas:
- Docker daemon configuration
- Container runtime settings
- Image security (no root, minimal base images)
- Network and logging configuration
Kubernetes penetration testing (kube-hunter)
Assess a Kubernetes cluster for known attack vectors:
# Passive discovery (safe, no exploit attempts)
run_tool(tool="kube-hunter", additional_args="--remote <k8s_api_ip>")
# Active testing (attempts exploitation)
run_tool(tool="kube-hunter", additional_args="--remote <k8s_api_ip> --active")
Kube-hunter checks for:
- Unauthenticated API server access
- Exposed kubelet ports (10250/10255)
- RBAC misconfigurations
- Container escape vulnerabilities
- etcd exposure
Cloud security priorities by risk
| Finding | Severity | Tool |
|---|
| Public S3 bucket | Critical | prowler (s3) |
| Root account has access keys | Critical | prowler (iam) |
| Critical CVE in container image | Critical | trivy |
| K8s API server unauthenticated | Critical | kube-hunter |
| MFA not enabled | High | prowler (iam) |
| Overprivileged IAM role | High | prowler (iam) |
| Container running as root | High | trivy, docker_bench |
| RDS publicly accessible | High | prowler (rds) |
| CloudTrail not enabled | Medium | prowler (cloudtrail) |
Typical engagement flow
1. prowler (cloud config audit)
→ identify misconfigurations and overprivileged IAM
2. trivy (container/image scan)
→ identify CVEs in deployed images
3. docker_bench (if Docker host access)
→ CIS benchmark gaps
4. kube-hunter (if Kubernetes)
→ runtime cluster attack surface
Tips
- Prowler requires cloud credentials configured (
aws configure, az login, etc.) before running.
- Trivy
CRITICAL findings should always be addressed before deployment — use it in CI/CD pipelines.
- Kube-hunter
--active mode actually attempts exploits — only use with explicit authorisation.
- Run trivy against base images as well as final images — vulnerabilities often come from upstream layers.
NyxStrike Tool Reference
| Tool | Use case |
|---|
prowler | AWS/Azure/GCP compliance and security audit |
trivy | Container image / filesystem CVE scan |
docker_bench | Docker CIS benchmark assessment |
kube-hunter | Kubernetes cluster penetration testing |