Cloud Administration Command
- ID
- T1651
- Tactics
- TA0002 Execution
- Platforms
- IaaS
- Data sources
- Command Execution, Script Execution, Process Creation
- Source
- attack.mitre.org
- MITRE last modified
- 12 May 2026
Adversaries may abuse cloud management services to execute commands within virtual machines. Resources such as AWS Systems Manager, Azure RunCommand, and Runbooks allow users to remotely run scripts in virtual machines by leveraging installed virtual machine agents. [2][3]
If an adversary gains administrative access to a cloud environment, they may be able to abuse cloud management services to execute commands in the environment’s virtual machines. Additionally, an adversary that compromises a service provider or delegated administrator account may similarly be able to leverage a Trusted Relationship to execute commands in connected virtual machines.[4]
Detection
- DET0545 Detection Strategy for Cloud Administration Command
Data components: Command Execution, Script Execution, Process Creation
Mitigations (1)
- M1026 Privileged Account Management
Limit the number of cloud accounts with permissions to remotely execute commands on virtual machines, and ensure that these are not used for day-to-day operations. In Azure, limit the number of accounts with the roles Azure Virtual Machine Contributer and above, and consider using temporary Just-in-Time (JIT) roles to avoid permanently assigning privileged access to virtual machines.[1]
Groups (2)
Software (2)
References
- Mandiant Azure Run Command 2021
- AWS Systems Manager Run Command
- Microsoft Run Command
- MSTIC Nobelium Oct 2021