A newly reported supply chain attack targeting the Amazon Web Services (AWS) management console has raised alarms across the developer community.
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered that threat actors are exploiting misconfigured AWS credentials and integrated GitHub actions to hijack repositories and inject malicious code into open-source projects.
According to the security firm that uncovered the incident, attackers exploit compromised AWS IAM keys stored in GitHub repositories or developer environments.
Once these credentials are obtained, attackers can log in via the AWS Web Console, assume valid permissions, and deploy malicious workloads that modify or exfiltrate data from GitHub repositories linked to AWS CodePipeline and CodeBuild.
The attack chain begins when developers mistakenly commit configuration files containing sensitive access tokens.
Threat actors scan public GitHub repositories for these secrets using automated scripts. Upon obtaining valid credentials, they authenticate into AWS accounts and exploit CI/CD pipelines connected to GitHub projects.
This allows them to silently push backdoored commits or replace legitimate build artifacts in ongoing deployments.
Security analysts warn that this exploit poses a severe risk to software supply chains that rely on automated build processes.
Applications may unknowingly incorporate compromised dependencies, leading to widespread downstream infections.
In one documented case, attackers used AWS Lambda functions to deploy malicious commands within the build infrastructure, giving them persistent access even after credentials were revoked.
AWS recommends that developers adopt least-privilege access policies, rotate IAM keys regularly, and use service roles instead of static credentials.
GitHub users are urged to enable secret scanning, apply branch protection rules, and monitor commit histories for unauthorized activity.
This incident highlights how tightly integrated cloud and development ecosystems have become and how easily misconfigurations can turn into major attack vectors, as reported by AWS.
With organizations increasingly depending on automated DevOps pipelines, securing those interconnections is no longer optional it’s essential to prevent future supply chain compromises.
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