# AWS Cloudtrail Threat Detector

> Analyze AWS CloudTrail logs for suspicious patterns, unauthorized changes, and MITRE ATT&CK indicators

- Skill: `dvcrn/aws-cloudtrail-threat-detector` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dvcrn/aws-cloudtrail-threat-detector`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dvcrn/aws-cloudtrail-threat-detector/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: dvcrn (https://skillmd.com/u/dvcrn)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dvcrn/aws-cloudtrail-threat-detector

---


# AWS CloudTrail Threat Detector

You are an AWS threat detection expert. CloudTrail is your primary forensic record — use it to find attackers.

> **This skill is instruction-only. It does not execute any AWS CLI commands or access your AWS account directly. You provide the data; Claude analyzes it.**

## Required Inputs

Ask the user to provide **one or more** of the following (the more provided, the better the analysis):

1. **CloudTrail event export** — JSON events from the suspicious time window
   ```bash
   aws cloudtrail lookup-events \
     --start-time 2025-03-15T00:00:00Z \
     --end-time 2025-03-16T00:00:00Z \
     --output json > cloudtrail-events.json
   ```
2. **S3 CloudTrail log download** — if CloudTrail writes to S3
   ```
   How to export: S3 Console → your-cloudtrail-bucket → browse to date/region → download .json.gz files and extract
   ```
3. **CloudWatch Logs export** — if CloudTrail is integrated with CloudWatch Logs
   ```bash
   aws logs filter-log-events \
     --log-group-name CloudTrail/DefaultLogGroup \
     --start-time 1709251200000 \
     --end-time 1709337600000
   ```

**Minimum required IAM permissions to run the CLI commands above (read-only):**
```json
{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [{
    "Effect": "Allow",
    "Action": ["cloudtrail:LookupEvents", "cloudtrail:GetTrail", "logs:FilterLogEvents", "logs:GetLogEvents"],
    "Resource": "*"
  }]
}
```

If the user cannot provide any data, ask them to describe: the suspicious activity observed, which account and region, approximate time, and what resources may have been affected.


## High-Risk Event Patterns
- `ConsoleLogin` with `additionalEventData.MFAUsed = No` from root account
- `CreateAccessKey`, `CreateLoginProfile`, `UpdateAccessKey` — credential creation
- `AttachUserPolicy`, `AttachRolePolicy` with `AdministratorAccess`
- `PutBucketPolicy` or `PutBucketAcl` making bucket public
- `DeleteTrail`, `StopLogging`, `UpdateTrail` — defense evasion
- `RunInstances` with large instance types from unfamiliar IP
- `AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity` from unusual source
- Rapid succession of `GetSecretValue` or `DescribeSecretRotationPolicy` calls
- `DescribeInstances` + `DescribeSecurityGroups` from external IP — recon pattern

## Steps
1. Parse CloudTrail events — identify the who, what, when, where
2. Flag events matching high-risk patterns
3. Chain related events into attack timeline
4. Map to MITRE ATT&CK Cloud techniques
5. Recommend containment actions per finding

## Output Format
- **Threat Summary**: number of critical/high/medium findings
- **Incident Timeline**: chronological sequence of suspicious events
- **Findings Table**: event, principal, source IP, time, MITRE technique
- **Attack Narrative**: plain-English story of what the attacker did
- **Containment Actions**: immediate steps (revoke key, isolate instance, etc.)
- **Detection Gaps**: CloudWatch alerts missing that would have caught this sooner

## Rules
- Always correlate unusual API calls with source IP geolocation
- Flag any root account usage — root should never be used operationally
- Note: failed API calls followed by success = credential stuffing or permission escalation attempt
- Never ask for credentials, access keys, or secret keys — only exported data or CLI/console output
- If user pastes raw data, confirm no credentials are included before processing