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العربيةRead S3 objects
Can read the objects stored in a bucket.
Grants escalation on its own.
s3:GetObjectOn its own, s3:GetObject can read the objects stored in a bucket. On a wide resource scope that alone reaches the data itself.
Why it is dangerous
A principal can call s3:GetObject to read the objects stored in the bucket, verified against both the principal's identity policy and the bucket's bucket policy. This is the objective, not a stepping-stone: it is direct exfiltration of whatever data the bucket holds, the breach itself. Its severity is driven by the bucket's sensitivity, not by any further access it grants.
In MITRE ATT&CK terms this maps to T1530, Data from Cloud Storage, under the collection tactic. AWS records it in CloudTrail as GetObject, ListObjects. The call is quiet against normal activity, so it is easy to miss without a rule for it.
Detection
GetObjectListObjectsPrerequisites
None beyond s3:GetObject; reachability is verified against the bucket policy too. (Note: GetObject is only logged if S3 data events are enabled, hence noise=quiet.)
MITRE ATT&CK
T1530 · Data from Cloud StorageTactic
Collection
A control that would remove it: Restrict s3:GetObject and tighten the bucket policy.
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 s3:GetObject allow?
Can read the objects stored in a bucket.
Can s3:GetObject escalate privileges on its own?
Yes. Held on a broad enough resource it reaches the data itself with no other permission.
How is read S3 objects detected?
Watch for GetObject, ListObjects in CloudTrail. The call is quiet against normal activity, so it is easy to miss without a rule for it.
How do you break this path?
A control that would remove it is: Restrict s3:GetObject and tighten the bucket policy. 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?
T1530, Data from Cloud Storage, under the collection tactic.
Related paths
References
Find this in your own account
We run a read-only scan of one AWS account and show you which of these paths exist, ranked by blast radius, with the change that breaks each one. First validated paths within the hour.