Build this Cybersecurity Project to get Hired

Build this Cybersecurity Project to get Hired Tutorial 20: Cloud Security save this for later PROJECT TUTORIAL: CLOUD SECURITY ANALYST / INCIDENT RESPONSE ANALYST / SOC ANALYST / CYBERSECURITY ANALYST CLOUD INCIDENT RESPONSE Investigate a Compromised AWS Account User -> aws -> Access -> CloudTrail/ -> S3 -> GuardDuty -> Bucket 1 GOAL Investigate a simulated AWS account compromise, follow the attacker's actions, identify indicators of compromise, and create a professional incident report. 2 YOU WILL: Set up an AWS lab environment Enable CloudTrail and GuardDuty Simulate suspicious IAM/access-key/S3 activity Investigate logs and build a timeline Write remediation + report 3 WHY THIS MATTERS This project shows real cloud investigation skills employers want: identity security, log analysis, incident response, and reporting. 4 TOOLS USED AWS Free Tier, IAM, S3, CloudTrail, GuardDuty, and a notes/report document. project from clevertailor.com 1/6 1. SET UP THE AWS IR LAB Admin / aws IAM S3 CloudTrail GuardDuty You Account User Bucket 1 Create a free-tier AWS account for the lab. 2 Create test IAM users: normal employee, contractor, and admin. 3 Create an S3 bucket with sample files. 4 Turn on CloudTrail and GuardDuty. 5 Decide what "normal" activity should look like before the incident. Goal: build a small cloud environment you can investigate. Tip: keep the lab simple so the timeline is easier to explain. project from clevertailor.com 2/6 2. SIMULATE THE COMPROMISE Suspicious Sign-in -> Access Key -> Privilege Change -> S3 Access 1 Simulate an unusual sign-in or risky login. 2 Create a new access key for the compromised user. 3 Attempt a privilege or policy change. 4 Access or list the S3 bucket contents. 5 Make notes of exactly what time each action happened. Why this matters: you need realistic cloud events to investigate. Do this safely in your own test lab only. project from clevertailor.com 3/6 3. INVESTIGATE CLOUDTRAIL + GUARDDUTY CloudTrail Logs -> GuardDuty Findings -> Investigation Checklist 1) Open CloudTrail and review event history. 2) Find the suspicious sign-in and note source IP, user, and time. 3) Locate access-key creation events and permission changes. 4) Review GuardDuty findings for severity and context. 5) Identify what resources were touched, especially S3. Goal: connect the events into a clear investigation story. Tip: write down user, IP, event name, and timestamp for every important action. project from clevertailor.com 4/6 4. BUILD THE TIMELINE + IOC LIST 12:03 12:07 12:12 12:18 IOC LIST Login Access Key Created Policy Change S3 Access IP ACCESS KEY USER BUCKET 1 Put the attacker actions in order. 2 Record the user account involved. 3 Record suspicious IP addresses and access-key IDs. 4 Note affected resources such as roles, policies, and S3 buckets. 5 Summarize the impact in 1-2 lines. Deliverable: incident timeline + IOC table. This is the evidence section of your project. project from clevertailor.com 5/6 5. WRITE THE REPORT + REMEDIATION FINAL INCIDENT REPORT Executive Summary Timeline IOCs Remediation FINAL DELIVERABLES: Screenshots of CloudTrail / GuardDuty findings Short incident summary Incident timeline IOC list Root cause and impact Remediation plan REMEDIATION IDEAS: Disable compromised keys Enforce MFA Tighten IAM permissions Review bucket access Improve monitoring WHY THIS GETS YOU HIRED This project shows cloud investigation, IAM awareness, logging, incident response, and reporting skills. Strong proof for SOC, cloud security, and incident response roles. project from clevertailor.com 6/6