HackTeam.RED: From API Keys to Full Infrastructure Compromise
KL3FT3Z

KL3FT3Z @toxy4ny

About: 🔭 I’m currently working in Red Team of Hackteam.RED. 🌱 I’m currently learning Red Team's Ops 2025. 👯 I’m looking to collaborate with Cyber Security Enthusiasts and Hackers.

Joined:
Mar 20, 2025

HackTeam.RED: From API Keys to Full Infrastructure Compromise

Publish Date: Aug 26
21 12

🚀 HackTeam.RED: From API Keys to Full Infrastructure Compromise

Professional Penetration Testing & Red Team Operations

How a simple JavaScript reconnaissance led to complete infrastructure compromise


🎯 Executive Summary

HackTeam.RED successfully demonstrated a complete infrastructure compromise of andromeda.lab (The all original names has been changed for ethical reasons) environment, escalating from exposed API keys to full system access including:

  • Database dumps containing 2.7GB of sensitive data
  • AIX system snapshot with complete OS configuration
  • S3 bucket enumeration revealing internal infrastructure
  • Security database extraction with user credentials
  • Network infrastructure mapping of internal services

Total Time: 4 hours | Critical Findings: 15+ | Systems Compromised: 3


🔍 Initial Reconnaissance: The API Key Discovery

Target Identification

Our engagement began with a web application assessment of terminal.andromeda.lab, where modern reconnaissance techniques revealed exposed API configurations in JS-script:

// Discovered in client-side JavaScript
const keys = {
  DEDATA_KEY: '31151cd87af40e5-------------------',
  YM_COUNTER_KEY: '8----------',
  AMPLITUDE_API_KEY: '0227beb540------------------',
  AMPLITUDE_AGENT_API_KEY: 'f588db0-----------------',
  CAPTCHA_CLIENT_KEY: 'ysc1_BrgRYcMK4mtVLR------------------------------------'
};
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🎯 HackTeam.RED Methodology: API Key Analysis

Severity: 🔴 HIGH - Exposed API keys in production

Our team immediately recognized the potential impact:

  • Amplitude keys - User analytics and behavioral data access
  • Dedata integration - Personal data enrichment service
  • Yandex services - Traffic analytics and user tracking
  • SmartCaptcha keys - Domain verification bypass

🚀 Exploitation Phase 1: API Validation & Abuse

Amplitude Analytics Compromise

Finding: Dual API key architecture discovered

  • AMPLITUDE_API_KEY - Server-side data export
  • AMPLITUDE_AGENT_API_KEY - Client-side event injection
# HackTeam.red Custom Exploitation
curl -X POST "https://api2.amplitude.com/2/httpapi" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{
       "api_key": "f588db0a4d77--------------------",
       "events": [{
         "user_id": "recon_agent",
         "event_type": "session_extract"
       }]
     }'

# Result: {"code":200,"events_ingested":1} ✅ CONFIRMED ACCESS
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Impact: Direct ability to inject tracking events and potentially extract user behavioral patterns.


🔥 Critical Discovery: S3 Infrastructure Exposure

SmartCaptcha Domain Enumeration

Advanced analysis revealed internal infrastructure through Yandex SmartCaptcha configuration:

https://smartcaptcha.yandexcloud.net/backend.636bb879d1085041b.html
?sitekey=ysc1_BrgRYcMK4mtVLRhi-------------------------------------
&host=terminal.andromeda.lab
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

💎 The Golden Discovery: Internal S3 Storage

Our reconnaissance revealed critical infrastructure details:

  • Domain: buckets.cloud.venus.local
  • Architecture: S3-compatible object storage
  • Access Level: Public enumeration possible

🛠️ HackTeam.red Custom S3 Enumeration Framework

We deployed our proprietary S3 enumeration framework, discovering:

<ListBucketResult>
<Name>logs</Name>
<Contents>
  <Key>dump.BZ</Key>
  <Size>2726426112</Size>
  <Owner>
    <DisplayName>user1234@soc.venus.local</DisplayName>
  </Owner>
</Contents>
<Contents>
  <Key>snap.pax</Key>
  <Size>22155776000</Size>
</Contents>
</ListBucketResult>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Severity: 🔴 CRITICAL - Complete system dumps accessible


💥 Full System Compromise: AIX Infrastructure

Database Dump Analysis (dump.BZ)

  • Size: 2.7GB encrypted/compressed database dump
  • Format: Custom AIX firmware-assisted dump
  • Content: Complete system state including memory contents

System Snapshot Extraction (snap.pax)

  • Size: 22GB complete AIX system snapshot
  • Contains: Full filesystem, configurations, user data
  • Extracted: 1,120 files successfully recovered
# HackTeam.RED Analysis Results
💎 CRITICAL SYSTEM FILES RECOVERED:
├── 🔑 privkey.pag - Private keys database
├── 📜 pwdhist.pag - Password history  
├── 👥 passwd.etc - System users
├── 🌐 hosts - Internal infrastructure map
├── 🔐 ssh_config - SSH configurations
└── 📊 9x DBM security databases
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🏆 AIX System Intelligence Gathered

System Profile:

AIX inferno-p870lp1 2 7 00CA41C74C00
Dump Date: Tue Dec 10 18:12:53 US 2024
Infrastructure: Enterprise AIX 7.2
Role: Production database server
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🎯 Custom Tooling: Dump Analysis

HackTeam.RED developed custom Python framework for firmware-assisted dump analysis:

Advanced Memory Forensics

  • Pattern Recognition: Driven string extraction
  • Credential Detection: Automated password/key discovery
  • Network Mapping: Infrastructure relationship analysis
  • Context Analysis: Behavioral pattern recognition

📊 Analysis Results

Categories Analyzed:

  • 🔑 Credentials: 50+ potential authentication secrets
  • 🎯 Andromeda.lab References: Direct domain and service mentions
  • 🌐 Network Intelligence: Internal service mapping
  • 🗃️ Database Strings: Connection patterns and schemas
  • 📧 Email Harvesting: User account enumeration

🔴 Critical Security Findings

1. API Key Exposure - CVSS 8.5

  • Impact: Data exfiltration, user tracking, service abuse
  • Recommendation: Immediate key rotation and server-side validation

2. S3 Bucket Misconfiguration - CVSS 9.8

  • Impact: Complete infrastructure exposure
  • Recommendation: Access control implementation and audit

3. System Dump Accessibility - CVSS 10.0

  • Impact: Full system compromise, credential exposure
  • Recommendation: Emergency incident response required

4. Internal Infrastructure Exposure - CVSS 8.8

  • Impact: Network mapping, lateral movement opportunities
  • Recommendation: Network segmentation and monitoring

🛡️ HackTeam.RED Remediation Roadmap

Immediate Actions (0-24 hours)

  • [ ] Rotate all exposed API keys
  • [ ] Secure S3 bucket access controls
  • [ ] Remove sensitive dumps from accessible storage
  • [ ] Audit system access logs

Short-term (1-7 days)

  • [ ] Implement API key server-side validation
  • [ ] Deploy S3 bucket monitoring
  • [ ] Conduct full credential audit
  • [ ] Network segmentation assessment

Long-term (1-4 weeks)

  • [ ] Security architecture review
  • [ ] Penetration testing program
  • [ ] Security awareness training
  • [ ] Incident response plan testing

📈 Business Impact Assessment

Area Risk Level Potential Impact
Data Security 🔴 Critical Customer PII exposure
Compliance 🟠 High Regulatory violations
Reputation 🟠 High Brand damage potential
Operations 🟡 Medium Service disruption risk

Estimated Cost of Breach: $500K - $2M+ (based on industry standards)


🏆 Why Choose HackTeam.RED?

🎯 Advanced Methodology

  • Custom tool development for unique scenarios
  • AI-powered analysis frameworks
  • Enterprise-grade reporting and remediation

🔍 Deep Technical Expertise

  • AIX/Unix system forensics
  • Cloud infrastructure security
  • API security assessment
  • Memory dump analysis

📊 Business-Focused Results

  • Clear risk quantification
  • Actionable remediation plans
  • Compliance-ready documentation
  • Executive-level reporting

🚀 Ready to Test Your Security?

HackTeam.RED offers comprehensive penetration testing and red team services:

  • Web Application Security Assessment
  • API Security Testing
  • Cloud Infrastructure Penetration Testing
  • Social Engineering & Phishing
  • Red Team Operations

📞 Contact Us

Email: b0x@hackteam.red

Web: hackteam.red


🎯 "Security Through Offensive Excellence"

HackTeam.RED - Where Red Team Meets Real Results

![Made with ❤️ by HackTeam.RED]


📋 Methodology References

  • OWASP Testing Guide v4.2
  • NIST Cybersecurity Framework
  • SANS Penetration Testing Methodology
  • MITRE ATT&CK Framework
  • Custom HackTeam.red Playbooks

⚖️ Legal Disclaimer

This assessment was carried out for our customer with his written consent and in an industrial environment based on the Blackbox principle. All vulnerabilities have already been fixed by the customer, but for ethical reasons we do not disclose it, so all names have been replaced, and the real artifacts that can be used have been removed. The material is presented for educational purposes and for security research. The HackTeam.RED development conducts all tests with explicit written permission and adheres to the principles of responsible disclosure of information.

Comments 12 total

  • Saeed Panahi
    Saeed PanahiAug 26, 2025

    That was great

    • KL3FT3Z
      KL3FT3ZAug 26, 2025

      Yes, thanks for the rating! We caught the real fun ourselves, it's always nice to find bugs on real infrastructure and not in CTF :))

  • Mr. 0x1
    Mr. 0x1Aug 26, 2025

    good work

  • Mr. 0x1
    Mr. 0x1Aug 26, 2025

    ever think about exposing some of this code to a github allow others to contrib ?

    • KL3FT3Z
      KL3FT3ZAug 27, 2025

      I will upload our craft tool for S3 bucket analysis to our github. The tool will contain only basic elements for verification, since it would be incorrect and contrary to ethics to specify those unique to the bucket from the case. But a skilled pentester, I'm sure, will be able to customize it for himself.

      • Mr. 0x1
        Mr. 0x1Aug 27, 2025

        Awesome , just want to. Contrib

  • Prasoon  Jadon
    Prasoon Jadon Aug 30, 2025

    I think , its really good

Add comment