Cloud Pentesting L1 — Learn Cloud Hacking by Doing (AWS · Azure · GCP)

Description

The hands-on guide to cloud penetration testing. Master cloud security across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with 60+ real-world labs. Find real risks, think like an attacker, defend like a pro.

Cloud Pentesting L1 is a practical, hands-on guide to cloud penetration testing across the three major providers — Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Instead of theory you’ll forget, every concept is paired with a real, reproducible lab you can run in your own free-tier cloud account. You finish each chapter having actually done the work — not just read about it.

This is a field manual, not a reference book. It takes you from cloud security fundamentals through identity attacks, container and Kubernetes security, cloud reconnaissance, and professional reporting — the full workflow of a real cloud security assessment, from recon to ownership.

Whether you’re an aspiring cloud pentester, a SOC or security analyst, a DevOps or cloud engineer, a sysadmin, or a career changer breaking into cybersecurity, this book gives you a job-ready foundation in cloud security. No prior cloud pentesting experience required.

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What You’ll Learn

• Cloud security fundamentals — the shared responsibility model, cloud attack surface, and how cloud environments actually get compromised
• AWS penetration testing — enumerate and assess IAM, S3, EC2, and the misconfigurations attackers exploit most
• Azure penetration testing — test Entra ID, RBAC, storage, and network exposure
• GCP penetration testing — assess IAM, storage buckets, compute, and organization-level policy
• Identity & Access Management (IAM) — find privilege escalation paths and reason about least privilege
• Container & Kubernetes security — review images, RBAC, and workloads for real weaknesses
• Cloud reconnaissance — map an unknown cloud footprint from the outside in
• Professional reporting — turn findings into clear, prioritized, business-ready output

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Why This Book Is Different

Most cloud security books are manuals you read once and shelve. Cloud Pentesting L1 is a book you work through.

• ✅ 58 chapters across 12 structured parts
• ✅ 60+ hands-on labs you run yourself in real cloud accounts
• ✅ 38 diagrams that make cloud attack paths visual and easy to follow
• ✅ 7 reference appendices — CLI cheat sheets, checklists, and templates you’ll reuse on real engagements
• ✅ All three clouds in one place — AWS, Azure, and GCP, plus IAM, Docker, and Kubernetes
• ✅ 235 pages of practical, no-fluff content

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Who This Book Is For

• Aspiring cloud penetration testers and ethical hackers
• SOC analysts and security engineers moving into offensive security
• Cloud, DevOps, and platform engineers who want to secure what they build
• Sysadmins and IT professionals pivoting into cloud security
• Career changers and students building a hands-on portfolio to land their first security role

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What You’ll Be Able to Do After Reading

By the end of this book, you can:

• Run a structured cloud security assessment end to end across AWS, Azure, and GCP
• Find the misconfigurations that matter — exposed storage, weak IAM, open networks, and the paths attackers actually use
• Work confidently in the AWS, Azure, and gcloud command-line interfaces
• Analyze IAM for privilege escalation and least-privilege violations
• Assess containers and Kubernetes for the weaknesses that lead to compromise
• Report findings like a professional — clear, prioritized, and business-ready

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need cloud experience to use this book? No. Cloud Pentesting L1 starts with the fundamentals and builds up. If you understand basic command-line use and networking, you can follow along. The early chapters cover cloud concepts from the ground up before moving into hands-on testing.

Do I need to know how to code? No programming background is required. You’ll work primarily with the AWS, Azure, and gcloud command-line tools and common security utilities. Comfort with a Linux shell is helpful, but the labs walk you through the exact commands step by step.

Which cloud should I learn first — AWS, Azure, or GCP? The book covers all three, but you can start with whichever your target job or company uses. AWS has the largest market share and is the most common starting point, but the skills transfer across providers because the concepts (identity, storage, compute, networking) are shared.

Is this book only for attackers, or is it useful for defenders too? Both. Understanding how cloud environments are attacked is the fastest way to learn how to secure them. SOC analysts, cloud engineers, and defenders use this book to see their infrastructure through an attacker’s eyes and close the gaps before someone else finds them.

Do I need a paid cloud account to do the labs? No. The labs are designed to run within the free tiers offered by AWS, Azure, and GCP. You set up your own accounts and practice safely in an environment you own and control.

Is this legal? Will I get in trouble? Everything in this book is intended for authorized testing only — against your own accounts and lab environments, or systems you have explicit written permission to test. The book opens with clear ethical and legal guidance. Never test systems you don’t own or aren’t authorized to assess.

What’s the difference between L1 and future levels? L1 is the foundational level — cloud security fundamentals and hands-on assessment across the three major providers. It builds the practical base you need before advancing to more specialized, enterprise-level offensive and defensive topics.

What format is the book in? A downloadable PDF you can read on any device — laptop, tablet, or phone — and keep for reference on real engagements.

Will this help me get a job in cloud security? It’s designed to. The hands-on labs give you concrete, demonstrable skills and a portfolio of work you can talk about in interviews — which counts for far more than theory alone. Document the labs as you complete them and you’ll have real evidence of capability.

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Start Learning Cloud Pentesting Today

Master cloud security. Find real risks. Think like an attacker. Defend like a pro. From recon to ownership — this is where you start.

By Codelivly — the Offensive Series.