KL3FT3Z

Posted on Aug 26

HackTeam.RED: From API Keys to Full Infrastructure Compromise

#cybersecurity #redteam #pentest #cloudnative

🚀 HackTeam.RED: From API Keys to Full Infrastructure Compromise

Professional Penetration Testing & Red Team Operations

How a simple JavaScript reconnaissance led to complete infrastructure compromise

🎯 Executive Summary

HackTeam.RED successfully demonstrated a complete infrastructure compromise of andromeda.lab (The all original names has been changed for ethical reasons) environment, escalating from exposed API keys to full system access including:

✅ Database dumps containing 2.7GB of sensitive data
✅ AIX system snapshot with complete OS configuration
✅ S3 bucket enumeration revealing internal infrastructure
✅ Security database extraction with user credentials
✅ Network infrastructure mapping of internal services

Total Time: 4 hours | Critical Findings: 15+ | Systems Compromised: 3

🔍 Initial Reconnaissance: The API Key Discovery

Target Identification

Our engagement began with a web application assessment of terminal.andromeda.lab, where modern reconnaissance techniques revealed exposed API configurations in JS-script:

// Discovered in client-side JavaScript
const keys = {
  DEDATA_KEY: '31151cd87af40e5-------------------',
  YM_COUNTER_KEY: '8----------',
  AMPLITUDE_API_KEY: '0227beb540------------------',
  AMPLITUDE_AGENT_API_KEY: 'f588db0-----------------',
  CAPTCHA_CLIENT_KEY: 'ysc1_BrgRYcMK4mtVLR------------------------------------'
};

🎯 HackTeam.RED Methodology: API Key Analysis

Severity: 🔴 HIGH - Exposed API keys in production

Our team immediately recognized the potential impact:

Amplitude keys - User analytics and behavioral data access
Dedata integration - Personal data enrichment service
Yandex services - Traffic analytics and user tracking
SmartCaptcha keys - Domain verification bypass

🚀 Exploitation Phase 1: API Validation & Abuse

Amplitude Analytics Compromise

Finding: Dual API key architecture discovered

AMPLITUDE_API_KEY - Server-side data export
AMPLITUDE_AGENT_API_KEY - Client-side event injection

# HackTeam.red Custom Exploitation
curl -X POST "https://api2.amplitude.com/2/httpapi" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{
       "api_key": "f588db0a4d77--------------------",
       "events": [{
         "user_id": "recon_agent",
         "event_type": "session_extract"
       }]
     }'

# Result: {"code":200,"events_ingested":1} ✅ CONFIRMED ACCESS

Impact: Direct ability to inject tracking events and potentially extract user behavioral patterns.

🔥 Critical Discovery: S3 Infrastructure Exposure

SmartCaptcha Domain Enumeration

Advanced analysis revealed internal infrastructure through Yandex SmartCaptcha configuration:

https://smartcaptcha.yandexcloud.net/backend.636bb879d1085041b.html
?sitekey=ysc1_BrgRYcMK4mtVLRhi-------------------------------------
&host=terminal.andromeda.lab

💎 The Golden Discovery: Internal S3 Storage

Our reconnaissance revealed critical infrastructure details:

Domain: buckets.cloud.venus.local
Architecture: S3-compatible object storage
Access Level: Public enumeration possible

🛠️ HackTeam.red Custom S3 Enumeration Framework

We deployed our proprietary S3 enumeration framework, discovering:

<ListBucketResult>
<Name>logs</Name>
<Contents>
  <Key>dump.BZ</Key>
  <Size>2726426112</Size>
  <Owner>
    <DisplayName>user1234@soc.venus.local</DisplayName>
  </Owner>
</Contents>
<Contents>
  <Key>snap.pax</Key>
  <Size>22155776000</Size>
</Contents>
</ListBucketResult>

Severity: 🔴 CRITICAL - Complete system dumps accessible

💥 Full System Compromise: AIX Infrastructure

Database Dump Analysis (dump.BZ)

Size: 2.7GB encrypted/compressed database dump
Format: Custom AIX firmware-assisted dump
Content: Complete system state including memory contents

System Snapshot Extraction (snap.pax)

Size: 22GB complete AIX system snapshot
Contains: Full filesystem, configurations, user data
Extracted: 1,120 files successfully recovered

# HackTeam.RED Analysis Results
💎 CRITICAL SYSTEM FILES RECOVERED:
├── 🔑 privkey.pag - Private keys database
├── 📜 pwdhist.pag - Password history  
├── 👥 passwd.etc - System users
├── 🌐 hosts - Internal infrastructure map
├── 🔐 ssh_config - SSH configurations
└── 📊 9x DBM security databases

🏆 AIX System Intelligence Gathered

System Profile:

AIX inferno-p870lp1 2 7 00CA41C74C00
Dump Date: Tue Dec 10 18:12:53 US 2024
Infrastructure: Enterprise AIX 7.2
Role: Production database server

🎯 Custom Tooling: Dump Analysis

HackTeam.RED developed custom Python framework for firmware-assisted dump analysis:

Advanced Memory Forensics

Pattern Recognition: Driven string extraction
Credential Detection: Automated password/key discovery
Network Mapping: Infrastructure relationship analysis
Context Analysis: Behavioral pattern recognition

📊 Analysis Results

Categories Analyzed:

🔑 Credentials: 50+ potential authentication secrets
🎯 Andromeda.lab References: Direct domain and service mentions
🌐 Network Intelligence: Internal service mapping
🗃️ Database Strings: Connection patterns and schemas
📧 Email Harvesting: User account enumeration

🔴 Critical Security Findings

1. API Key Exposure - CVSS 8.5

Impact: Data exfiltration, user tracking, service abuse
Recommendation: Immediate key rotation and server-side validation

2. S3 Bucket Misconfiguration - CVSS 9.8

Impact: Complete infrastructure exposure
Recommendation: Access control implementation and audit

3. System Dump Accessibility - CVSS 10.0

Impact: Full system compromise, credential exposure
Recommendation: Emergency incident response required

4. Internal Infrastructure Exposure - CVSS 8.8

Impact: Network mapping, lateral movement opportunities
Recommendation: Network segmentation and monitoring

🛡️ HackTeam.RED Remediation Roadmap

Immediate Actions (0-24 hours)

[ ] Rotate all exposed API keys
[ ] Secure S3 bucket access controls
[ ] Remove sensitive dumps from accessible storage
[ ] Audit system access logs

Short-term (1-7 days)

[ ] Implement API key server-side validation
[ ] Deploy S3 bucket monitoring
[ ] Conduct full credential audit
[ ] Network segmentation assessment

Long-term (1-4 weeks)

[ ] Security architecture review
[ ] Penetration testing program
[ ] Security awareness training
[ ] Incident response plan testing

📈 Business Impact Assessment

Area	Risk Level	Potential Impact
Data Security	🔴 Critical	Customer PII exposure
Compliance	🟠 High	Regulatory violations
Reputation	🟠 High	Brand damage potential
Operations	🟡 Medium	Service disruption risk

Estimated Cost of Breach: $500K - $2M+ (based on industry standards)

🏆 Why Choose HackTeam.RED?

🎯 Advanced Methodology

Custom tool development for unique scenarios
AI-powered analysis frameworks
Enterprise-grade reporting and remediation

🔍 Deep Technical Expertise

AIX/Unix system forensics
Cloud infrastructure security
API security assessment
Memory dump analysis

📊 Business-Focused Results

Clear risk quantification
Actionable remediation plans
Compliance-ready documentation
Executive-level reporting

🚀 Ready to Test Your Security?

HackTeam.RED offers comprehensive penetration testing and red team services:

✅ Web Application Security Assessment
✅ API Security Testing
✅ Cloud Infrastructure Penetration Testing
✅ Social Engineering & Phishing
✅ Red Team Operations

📞 Contact Us

Email: b0x@hackteam.red

Web: hackteam.red

🎯 "Security Through Offensive Excellence"

HackTeam.RED - Where Red Team Meets Real Results

![Made with ❤️ by HackTeam.RED]

📋 Methodology References

OWASP Testing Guide v4.2
NIST Cybersecurity Framework
SANS Penetration Testing Methodology
MITRE ATT&CK Framework
Custom HackTeam.red Playbooks

⚖️ Legal Disclaimer

This assessment was carried out for our customer with his written consent and in an industrial environment based on the Blackbox principle. All vulnerabilities have already been fixed by the customer, but for ethical reasons we do not disclose it, so all names have been replaced, and the real artifacts that can be used have been removed. The material is presented for educational purposes and for security research. The HackTeam.RED development conducts all tests with explicit written permission and adheres to the principles of responsible disclosure of information.

Top comments (12)

Mr. 0x1 • Aug 26

ever think about exposing some of this code to a github allow others to contrib ?

KL3FT3Z • Aug 27

I will upload our craft tool for S3 bucket analysis to our github. The tool will contain only basic elements for verification, since it would be incorrect and contrary to ethics to specify those unique to the bucket from the case. But a skilled pentester, I'm sure, will be able to customize it for himself.