performing-cloud-forensics-with-aws-cloudtrail

name	performing-cloud-forensics-with-aws-cloudtrail
description	Perform forensic investigation of AWS environments using CloudTrail logs to reconstruct attacker activity, identify compromised credentials, and analyze API call patterns. Use when performing forensic investigation of aws environments using cloudtrail logs to.
domain	cybersecurity
tags	["cloud-security","aws","cloudtrail","forensics","incident-response","dfir","boto3","s3"]
subdomain	cloud-security
version	1.0
author	oyi77
license	Apache-2.0
nist_csf	["PR.IR-01","ID.AM-08","GV.SC-06","DE.CM-01"]

Performing Cloud Forensics With Aws Cloudtrail

Overview

Cybersecurity skill for performing cloud forensics with aws cloudtrail. Follows industry best practices and security standards.

When to Use

Trigger phrases:

• "performing cloud forensics with aws cloudtrail"

• "Perform forensic investigation of AWS environments using CloudTrail logs to reco"

• When investigating suspected AWS account compromise

• After detecting unauthorized API calls or credential exposure

• During incident response involving cloud infrastructure

• When analyzing S3 data exfiltration or IAM privilege escalation

• For post-incident forensic timeline reconstruction

When NOT to Use

• When you lack proper authorization for testing
• For production systems without change management
• When the task requires legal or compliance expertise beyond technical scope

Prerequisites

• AWS account with CloudTrail enabled (management and data events)
• IAM permissions for cloudtrail:LookupEvents, s3:GetObject, athena:StartQueryExecution
• boto3 Python SDK installed
• CloudTrail logs delivered to S3 with optional Athena table configured
• AWS CLI configured with appropriate credentials

Workflow

# Example: IOC detection
import re

IOC_PATTERNS = {
    "ip": r"\b(?:\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}\b",
    "domain": r"\b[a-z0-9-]+\.[a-z]{2,}\b",
    "hash_md5": r"\b[a-f0-9]{32}\b",
    "hash_sha256": r"\b[a-f0-9]{64}\b",
}

def extract_iocs(text: str) -> dict:
    return {k: re.findall(v, text) for k, v in IOC_PATTERNS.items()}

1. Plan Operations — Define objectives, scope, and success criteria for cloud forensics operations.