Security News > 2020 > March > $100K Paid Out for Google Cloud Shell Root Compromise

Google has awarded its inaugural annual top prize for the Google Cloud Platform, for vulnerabilities found in the Google Cloud Shell.

The find - a container escape that leads to host root access and the ability to use privileged containers - has earned $100,000 for Dutch researcher Wouter ter Maat.

The Google Cloud Shell is a Linux- and browser-based front-end for administrators that provides access to various resources in the Google Cloud Platform.

"Anyone who can communicate with a host-based Docker socket can easily escape the container and gain root access on the host at the same time," the researcher noted, adding that he wrote a quick script to do just that.

"For malicious actors who gain access to exposed privileged containers, the possibilities for abuse are seemingly endless. Attackers can identify software running on the host to find and exploit vulnerabilities. They can also exploit container software vulnerabilities or misconfigurations, such as containers with weak credentials or no authentication. Because an attacker has root access, malicious code or coin miners can be executed and effectively hidden."

News URL

https://threatpost.com/100k-google-cloud-shell-root-compromise/153665/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=100k-google-cloud-shell-root-compromise