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العربيةHijack Glue dev endpoint role
Can inject an SSH key into a Glue dev endpoint and run a session as its role.
Grants escalation on its own.
glue:UpdateDevEndpointOn its own, glue:UpdateDevEndpoint can inject an SSH key into a Glue dev endpoint and run a session as its role. On a wide resource scope that alone reaches administrator access.
Why it is dangerous
A principal can call glue:UpdateDevEndpoint on an existing Glue development endpoint that already carries the role, injecting an attacker SSH public key (addPublicKeys) or custom libraries. The attacker then SSHes into the endpoint and gets an interactive session that runs as the target role, no iam:PassRole needed, because the target role is already bound to the endpoint. The session reads the target role's live temporary credentials directly; if the target role is privileged this is full privilege escalation against a resource that was already trusted.
In MITRE ATT&CK terms this maps to T1578, Modify Cloud Compute Infrastructure, under the privilege escalation tactic. AWS records it in CloudTrail as UpdateDevEndpoint. The call shows up in CloudTrail but blends into normal administration, so it needs a rule to stand out.
Detection
UpdateDevEndpointPrerequisites
An existing Glue dev endpoint with a role attached; permission to update it. Adding SSH public keys / custom libraries to the endpoint must be permitted (the default).
MITRE ATT&CK
T1578 · Modify Cloud Compute InfrastructureTactic
Privilege Escalation
A control that would remove it: Restrict glue:UpdateDevEndpoint on dev endpoints that carry a privileged role; disallow adding SSH public keys / custom libraries to existing endpoints.
Whether to apply it depends on how the permission is used in your environment, so it is a business decision rather than an automatic fix. The same permission can be load-bearing in one account and pure risk in another.
Pathbreak confirms whether this path resolves in your account, ranks it against the others by how much it opens up, and uses your threat model and business context to show which paths are worth cutting.
Questions
What does glue:UpdateDevEndpoint allow?
Can inject an SSH key into a Glue dev endpoint and run a session as its role.
Can glue:UpdateDevEndpoint escalate privileges on its own?
Yes. Held on a broad enough resource it reaches administrator access with no other permission.
How is hijack Glue dev endpoint role detected?
Watch for UpdateDevEndpoint in CloudTrail. The call shows up in CloudTrail but blends into normal administration, so it needs a rule to stand out.
How do you break this path?
A control that would remove it is: Restrict glue:UpdateDevEndpoint on dev endpoints that carry a privileged role; disallow adding SSH public keys / custom libraries to existing endpoints. Whether to apply it depends on how the permission is used in your account, so it is a business decision rather than an automatic fix.
Which MITRE ATT&CK technique is this?
T1578, Modify Cloud Compute Infrastructure, under the privilege escalation tactic.
Related paths
References
Find this in your own account
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