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AWS Penetration Testing Services

AWS environments require fundamentally different testing methodology from traditional on-premise infrastructure. The attack surface is not just exposed services, it is IAM policies, S3 bucket ACLs, EC2 instance metadata, Lambda execution roles, EKS RBAC, and the dozens of subtle interactions between AWS services that create realistic attack paths.

RedSecLabs delivers specialised AWS penetration testing aligned to AWS's own customer-side testing policy. Our testers combine deep AWS expertise (cloud architects who happen to be offensive security practitioners) with the methodology depth needed to find real attack paths in modern cloud environments.

Every engagement covers configuration review, IAM analysis, attack-path enumeration, and where in scope manual exploitation of identified weaknesses, producing remediation guidance specific to AWS services rather than generic infrastructure advice.

CREST Certified Pen Test Provider ISO Certified OSCP Certified Industry Certification

Free Security Quote

Just a few questions to scope your project. We respond the same business day.

✓ UK-based CREST member · ✓ QSA-aligned methodology · ✓ Same-day scoping response · ✓ Executive + technical reports · ✓ Retest included
Amazon Web Services penetration testing

RedSecLabs delivers AWS penetration testing aligned to the AWS Customer Support Policy for Penetration Testing. Coverage spans IAM misconfigurations, S3 bucket exposure, Lambda function security, EC2 and VPC architecture, RDS configuration, EKS hardening, and serverless attack surface. Senior CREST-accredited testers with hands-on AWS experience , not generic web pentesters claiming cloud expertise.

AWS-specific
Service-aware methodology
CREST
Certified testers
IAM
Privilege escalation focus
5-15 days
Typical engagement

What is AWS penetration testing?

AWS penetration testing is the structured assessment of an AWS environment for exploitable security weaknesses. Unlike traditional pentesting which focuses on network and application exposure, AWS testing centres on cloud-specific attack surfaces: IAM policies and roles, S3 bucket configurations, EC2 instance metadata exposure, Lambda execution permissions, EKS pod-to-service-account mappings, RDS network exposure, and the cross-service interactions that create attack paths.

AWS operates a shared responsibility model. Amazon secures the cloud, customers secure their configuration within it. The overwhelming majority of cloud breaches trace to customer-side misconfiguration rather than AWS platform vulnerabilities, which is why customer-side AWS pentesting is so valuable.

What AWS testing delivers:

Comprehensive IAM analysis including privilege escalation paths

S3 bucket configuration review and accidental public exposure detection

EC2, EKS, and Lambda security configuration assessment

VPC, security group, and network ACL review

CloudTrail and detection coverage analysis

AWS-specific remediation guidance from cloud-native specialists

AWS testing should happen at least annually, with focused re-testing after major architectural changes or significant new AWS service adoption.

Why AWS testing matters

Cloud misconfiguration remains the leading cause of cloud-environment breaches, overly-permissive IAM policies enabling privilege escalation, publicly-exposed S3 buckets leaking customer data, exposed EC2 metadata services enabling credential theft, weak EKS RBAC allowing pod escapes. These are findable with proper testing.

Generic infrastructure pentesting rarely covers cloud-specific risk effectively. AWS testing requires understanding AWS services, what each service does, how it integrates with IAM, what its common misconfigurations look like, and what realistic attack paths combine multiple services. Generalist testers miss most of this.

Common AWS-specific risks:

IAM privilege escalation via policy combination weaknesses

S3 bucket misconfiguration leaking customer data publicly

EC2 instance metadata exposure enabling role credential theft

EKS RBAC weaknesses enabling cluster compromise

Lambda over-privileged execution roles

Cross-account assumed role chains enabling lateral movement

AWS environments demand AWS-specific testing, and the findings are typically among the highest-impact in any security programme.

Who needs AWS testing?

Any organisation with substantial AWS workloads benefits from regular AWS-specific testing:

Cloud-native SaaS organisations

Financial services on AWS

HealthTech and HIPAA workloads

E-commerce with AWS infrastructure

AI and ML platforms on AWS

GovTech and defence AWS workloads

Multi-account AWS organisations

Hybrid cloud organisations

Organisations subject to PCI DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, or HIPAA running on AWS need AWS-specific testing as compliance evidence, generic infrastructure testing rarely satisfies auditor scrutiny.

Our AWS Testing Methodology

AWS-specific methodology aligned to the AWS customer testing policy, combining configuration review, IAM analysis, and active exploitation where in scope.

01

Scoping & AWS Access Setup

We agree the in-scope AWS accounts, services, and testing approach (read-only assessment, active exploitation, or both). Read-only IAM role access is established for testing.

02

Account Inventory & Mapping

Comprehensive enumeration of AWS resources across in-scope accounts, services in use, regions, account relationships, organisational structure.

03

IAM Policy Analysis

Deep analysis of IAM policies, roles, and trust relationships, looking for privilege escalation paths, overly-permissive policies, and cross-account risk.

04

Storage Security Review

S3 bucket configurations, public access settings, cross-account access, encryption posture, and accidental exposure of sensitive data.

05

Compute Security Review

EC2 instance configurations, security groups, instance metadata service exposure, EKS RBAC and pod security, Lambda execution roles.

06

Network Architecture Review

VPC configurations, network ACLs, security groups, VPC peering, transit gateways, and exposed endpoints.

07

Active Exploitation (Where In Scope)

Manual exploitation of identified weaknesses where the engagement scope allows. IAM privilege escalation, metadata service abuse, cross-service attack paths.

08

Detection Coverage Analysis

Assessment of CloudTrail, GuardDuty, Security Hub coverage, identifying detection gaps for the attack paths we identified.

Typical engagement: 5-8 days for single-account environments, 10-15 days for multi-account AWS organisations, longer for very large or complex estates.

What you receive

Every AWS testing engagement with RedSecLabs includes:

  • Scoping document and AWS testing approach
  • Executive summary for board and management
  • IAM analysis with privilege escalation paths
  • Configuration findings across S3, EC2, EKS, Lambda, RDS
  • Network architecture review (VPC, security groups, ACLs)
  • AWS-specific remediation guidance with CLI/Terraform examples
  • CloudTrail and detection coverage analysis
  • Remediation retest of critical and high findings

Industries We Serve

We deliver this service across these industries:

Financial Services
Healthcare
SaaS & Technology
E-commerce & Retail
Defence & Government
Cloud & Managed Services
Education
Professional Services

Why RedSecLabs for AWS testing

AWS testing requires testers who actually understand AWS, services, integrations, IAM model, common architectural patterns, at engineering depth, not just security depth. Our AWS testers are cloud-native practitioners who have built AWS environments themselves; the remediation guidance you get reflects real implementation experience, not theoretical best practice.

CREST-certified AWS security specialists
Cloud-native engineering background
Multi-account and AWS Organisations expertise
PCI DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA aligned
CLI and Terraform remediation examples
Remediation retest included

Schedule Your AWS Pentest

Book a free 30-minute scoping call. Fixed-fee proposal within 48 hours, engagement starts within 1-2 weeks.

Book a Scoping Call Contact Us

Where to next

Related services and industry packages worth exploring.

GCP Pentesting

SOC 2 for MSPs

SaaS & Technology package

Frequently Asked Questions

For most AWS services, no. AWS's customer testing policy (updated 2024) explicitly permits customer-side penetration testing of in-account resources without prior notification. Some exceptions apply (DNS zone walking, DoS testing, services hosted by other customers). We confirm the policy for your specific scope during scoping.

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tools (e.g. AWS Security Hub, Wiz, Prisma Cloud) provide automated configuration scanning, broad coverage of known misconfigurations. AWS pentesting adds manual investigation of attack paths, IAM privilege escalation analysis, and exploitation validation, depth where CSPM provides breadth. Most mature programmes use both.

Yes, multi-account testing is core scope. We test individual account configurations, cross-account trust relationships, AWS Organisations SCPs, and the attack paths that combine multi-account access. Multi-account engagements typically run 10-15 days depending on account count and complexity.

Yes, container platforms are core AWS testing scope. EKS testing covers RBAC, pod security, service account permissions, network policies, and container escape scenarios. ECS testing covers task IAM roles, container configurations, and orchestration security. Both require specialist methodology beyond generic container security.

Yes, we deliver cloud penetration testing across all three major clouds. Azure and GCP each have their own methodology page. The cloud-specific knowledge does not transfer cleanly between providers; we staff cloud engagements with platform specialists.

Single-account environments £8,000-£18,000; multi-account organisations £15,000-£35,000; very large or complex AWS estates £30,000-£80,000+. CREST premium 10-20%. Fixed-fee quotes within 48 hours of scoping.
Before you decide
Download a sample report →
A redacted RedSecLabs penetration test report. See the format, depth, and clarity your team will receive.
Talk to us
Book a scoping call →
A 30-minute call covers realistic effort, timeline, and a fixed-scope quote. CREST-aligned methodology, UK-based testers.
What you receive

Every engagement includes

  • ✓ Scoping call. A 30-minute call to define scope, timeline, and authorisation boundaries.
  • ✓ Test plan. Written test plan covering targets, methodology, and rules of engagement.
  • ✓ Technical report. Detailed findings with reproduction steps, evidence, and remediation guidance.
  • ✓ Executive summary. Board-ready summary with risk ratings and business impact.
  • ✓ Audit-ready evidence. Findings letter formatted for auditors, customers, and supervisory authorities.
  • ✓ Retest letter. Free retest of remediated findings within agreed window. Confirmation letter included.
  • ✓ Remediation call. A call with our lead tester to walk through findings and remediation strategy.
How we deliver

Our process, end to end

  1. 1
    Scoping call & fixed-scope quote
    A 30-minute call. We define scope, targets, timeline. You get a fixed-scope quote within one working day.
  2. 2
    Test plan & authorisation
    Written test plan covering methodology, targets, and rules of engagement.
  3. 3
    CREST-aligned execution
    Senior tester runs the engagement. Critical findings flagged immediately during testing.
  4. 4
    Technical + executive report
    Detailed technical findings with reproduction steps. Board-ready executive summary.
  5. 5
    Remediation call & retest
    Walkthrough with our lead tester. Retest of remediated findings within the agreed window.
Engagement scope

What shapes the quote

Small scope
Focused scope, smaller surface. 5-7 working days.
Medium scope
Multi-role, several integrations. 8-12 working days.
Enterprise scope
Complex environment, compliance evidence. 12-25 working days.
Fixed-scope quote within 1 working day
No surprise invoices. We commit to a number before you commit to us.
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