Simple Tips for Bug Bounty Beginners: Finding Open AWS S3 buckets, impact, and causes

NOTE: Make sure to test only on sites where it is allowed to test and carefully read and follow the guidelines for testing on the site.

AWS S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a cloud-based object storage service.

Open AWS S3 buckets are a common vulnerability that can lead to data breaches.

What are Open S3 Buckets?

By default, S3 buckets are private, meaning only authorized users can access them. However, if misconfigured, these buckets can become publicly accessible, exposing sensitive data to anyone who happens to come across the site domain.

Impact of Open S3 Buckets:

2. Intellectual property such as trade secrets, source code, and research data.

3. Internal documents: Business plans, legal documents, employee records.

Attackers can also:

Download sensitive data

Modify or delete data within the bucket

Use the bucket to host malicious content (e.g., malware, phishing websites)

Leverage the bucket for further attacks on the organization’s infrastructure

Compliance Violations: