GCP - Pubsub Privesc

👉 Overview

👀 What ?

Google Cloud Pub/Sub is a messaging service that allows you to send and receive messages between independent applications. In the context of cybersecurity, Pubsub Privesc refers to the process of escalating privileges in a Pub/Sub environment, which can potentially allow an attacker to access sensitive information or control the system.

🧐 Why ?

Understanding GCP Pubsub Privesc is important for securing cloud-based systems. If not properly managed, privilege escalation can lead to unauthorized access and potential data breaches. This is especially critical in a cloud environment where multiple services are interconnected and a breach can have far-reaching effects.

⛏️ How ?

To prevent GCP Pubsub Privesc, it's essential to follow best practices for managing permissions in a Pub/Sub environment. This includes enforcing the principle of least privilege, regularly auditing and monitoring activities, and implementing strong authentication and access control measures. Also, keep your system and applications up-to-date to ensure you have the latest security patches.

⏳ When ?

GCP Pubsub Privesc practices began to be implemented as GCP Pub/Sub became more widely used and the need for securing these systems became more apparent. With the increasing adoption of cloud services, it's more important than ever to understand and mitigate this risk.

⚙️ Technical Explanations

In GCP, a user with 'pubsub.topics.setIamPolicy' permission on a topic can potentially escalate it to 'owner' role, gaining full control over it. This is the underlying principle of GCP Pubsub Privesc. The crux of the issue lies in the misconfiguration of permissions, where a user or service account has more privileges than necessary. By exploiting these overprivileged accounts, an attacker can gain unauthorized access to the topic and its data.