The Crimson Collective AWS attack is the latest warning sign of how vulnerable cloud environments remain to sophisticated cybercrime operations. Over the past several weeks, the threat group known as Crimson Collective has been systematically targeting Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud environments, stealing data, and using extortion to pressure victims. The campaign has already been tied to a high-profile breach at Red Hat, where hackers claim to have stolen more than 570 GB of data from thousands of private GitLab repositories.
This incident demonstrates the growing risk of cybercriminal groups focusing directly on cloud infrastructure. The Crimson Collective AWS attack highlights the importance of credential security, identity management, and continuous monitoring for enterprises operating in AWS environments.
How the Crimson Collective AWS Attack Works
According to new analysis from Rapid7, Crimson Collective’s methods rely on exposed long-term AWS access keys and compromised identity and access management (IAM) accounts. Once inside a cloud environment, the attackers move quickly to escalate privileges by attaching the powerful “AdministratorAccess” policy to newly created IAM users. This gives them near-total control of an organization’s AWS environment.
The group uses open-source discovery tools such as TruffleHog to locate exposed AWS credentials. After harvesting credentials, the attackers generate new IAM users and access keys through API calls, granting them persistence. With elevated permissions, they enumerate users, database clusters, applications, and cloud instances to prepare for widespread data theft.
During the Crimson Collective AWS attack, the hackers also modify RDS (Relational Database Service) master passwords to seize databases, create snapshots of sensitive storage, and export them to S3 (Simple Storage Service) buckets for exfiltration. They then launch new EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances, attach EBS (Elastic Block Store) volumes, and transfer stolen data under permissive security groups.
Extortion Tactics Inside AWS Environments
Once the data theft phase is complete, Crimson Collective delivers ransom notes directly inside AWS environments. Victims have reported receiving extortion emails through AWS Simple Email Service (SES), in addition to external communications. By leaving ransom demands inside the cloud environment itself, attackers reinforce their control and increase pressure on organizations to pay.
Researchers noted that Crimson Collective used multiple IP addresses across incidents, reusing some infrastructure between campaigns, which provides investigators with leads but also demonstrates the persistence of the threat group.
Connection to Red Hat Data Theft
The group recently claimed responsibility for the Red Hat incident, alleging the theft of 570 GB of sensitive information from thousands of private GitLab repositories. To amplify pressure, Crimson Collective reportedly partnered with another cybercrime operation known as Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, combining extortion campaigns to maximize the chance of financial payout.
By tying the Red Hat breach to its larger campaign, the Crimson Collective AWS attack reinforces concerns about cloud-focused ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) groups and their ability to adapt and scale operations globally.
Industry Warnings and Defensive Measures
AWS has emphasized that customers should adopt best practices to defend against attacks like this, including short-term, least-privileged credentials and restrictive IAM policies. Security teams are urged to immediately rotate compromised credentials, audit API activity, and monitor suspicious PowerShell or administrative behavior within their cloud environments.
Experts also recommend using open-source tools such as S3crets Scanner to detect exposed AWS secrets before attackers do. Regular monitoring of cache activity, credential rotation, and strict segmentation of administrative privileges can help reduce the risk of compromise.
🚨 Rapid7 has observed increased activity involving a new threat group and #AWS cloud environments.
Self-referred to as ‘Crimson Collective’, the group has claimed responsibility for the recent theft of private repositories from the #RedHat GitLab. More: https://t.co/orTMJxLEq5 pic.twitter.com/KFfeUbAHcP
— Rapid7 (@rapid7) October 7, 2025
Why the Crimson Collective AWS Attack Matters
The Crimson Collective AWS attack underscores the reality that cloud services are now prime targets for cybercriminals. As organizations increasingly move their operations into AWS and other public cloud providers, attackers are adapting to exploit misconfigurations, exposed credentials, and weak access controls. Unlike traditional ransomware that encrypts endpoints, these cloud campaigns directly exploit administrative power to steal sensitive corporate data.
With growing collaboration between cybercrime groups and new extortion tactics being deployed, the Crimson Collective campaign represents an evolution in cloud-targeted attacks. Security leaders must treat AWS as a high-value target environment and implement proactive monitoring, segmentation, and rapid response strategies.
This is not the first time AWS cloud has been targeted, but the Crimson Collective AWS attack shows that attackers are advancing quickly. As enterprises rely more on the cloud, security vigilance is no longer optional—it’s essential.
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