Security firm Varonis has built a hacking tool called NotC2 that hides inside Amazon's cloud and uses Amazon's own generative AI service to carry out an attacker's instructions.
Cloud security · AI tooling
A hacking tool hides inside Amazon's cloud and uses Amazon's own AI to run attacker commands
Varonis built NotC2, a command-and-control style tool that takes plain-language instructions and passes them to Amazon Bedrock to decide and carry out next steps. It requires an attacker who already holds AWS account access.
How the attack loop works
Simplified flow based on the reported design
STEP 1
Existing access
Attacker already holds account-level AWS credentials.
→
STEP 2
Plain-language request
For example: list all running EC2 instances and their IP addresses.
→
STEP 3
Bedrock plans the steps
Amazon Bedrock determines and executes the next actions.
→
STEP 4
Results returned
Output flows back over legitimate AWS services, which can blend into normal activity.
Why researchers are concerned
AI services built into cloud platforms could become part of an attack chain.
Plain-language commands could make broad cloud access faster to exploit.
Stolen credentials and over-broad permissions already give attackers wide reach.
Where defenders are likely to focus
Credential hygiene and rotation.
Least-privilege IAM policies.
Logging and review of Bedrock and EC2 API activity.
Key point
The tool's impact depends on access the attacker already has.
Initial access
Not described. NotC2 does not explain how to enter an AWS account from outside.
Detection
Traffic runs through legitimate services, which may make it harder to separate from normal operations.
Verification
No independent confirmation from Amazon, and full technical details are not independently verified.
Open questions
It remains unclear whether Amazon will change how Bedrock handles such requests or issue new customer guidance. The episode adds to the broader debate over how safely AI agents and tool-using models can be deployed inside enterprise cloud accounts.
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