Learn more about AWS ELB Subdomain Takeover risks and mitigation strategies. Our AWS Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.

AWS ELB Subdomain Takeover | Risks and Mitigation Strategies

AWS ELB Subdomain Takeover is a serious security vulnerability. It allows attackers to hijack subdomains by exploiting misconfigurations in Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) settings.

So, this can lead to various malicious activities, including phishing, malware distribution, and unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Let’s take a look at how this typically unfolds and how organizations can protect themselves:

The Vulnerability

1. The target organization has a subdomain (e.g., sub.example.com) that points to an AWS ELB instance. However, the subdomain is misconfigured and not properly associated with the ELB instance.
2. Then, the attacker discovers the misconfigured subdomain. Also, it is not actively used or monitored by the target organization.
3. Additionally, the attacker registers the misconfigured subdomain (sub.example.com) with a domain registrar or DNS hosting provider, gaining control over it.
4. After getting control over the subdomain, the attacker configures it to point to malicious content hosted on their servers.

Exploitation

When users visit the subdomain (sub.example.com), they are redirected to the attacker’s servers instead of the intended AWS ELB instance. This can lead to data theft, unauthorized access, and reputation damage.

Mitigation

To mitigate the risk of AWS ELB subdomain takeover, organizations should:

• Ensure that subdomains are correctly configured to point to AWS resources, and regularly monitor DNS settings for any anomalies.
• Then. verify ownership of all subdomains to prevent unauthorized registration.
• Finally, use security best practices, like strong authentication methods and regularly auditing configurations for potential vulnerabilities.

With the above steps, organizations can protect themselves against AWS ELB subdomain takeover and reduce the risk of falling victim to malicious activities.

[Need assistance with a different issue? Our team is available 24/7.]

Conclusion

In brief, our Support Experts introduced us to AWS ELB Subdomain Takeover and its risks and mitigation strategies.