Code Spaces (SaaS) 

Shut down after cloud console takeover 

The Catastrophe 

In June 2014, an attacker gained access to the AWS console and deleted production systems and backups; the company announced it was out of business within days. Network ComputingThe Hacker NewseSecurity Planet 

Fallout 

Total loss of customer data and services; no independent, immutable backups to restore from; operations ceased. Network Computing 

Security Layer Failures Analysis 

  • ❌ Layer 1: People — Admins not drilled on cloud-credential hygiene & alerting.
  • ❌ Layer 2: Physical — (Cloud) No separate break-glass path; single control plane exposure. 
  • ❌ Layer 3: Cyber — Missing/weak MFA & least-privilege on root/console; no guardrails. 
  • ❌ Layer 4: Risk Management — Control-plane compromise not modeled as a top risk. 
  • ❌ Layer 5: Leadership — No governance over backup isolation or key management.
  • ❌ Layer 6: Culture — Assumed “cloud equals safe”; no operational discipline on restores.
  • ❌ Layer 7: Resilience — No off-platform, immutable, routinely tested backups. 

ROI of Prevention 

Enforce MFA and role separation on cloud control planes; keep offline/immutable backups with regular restore tests; add CISO+ governance to treat console security as existential. Network Computing 

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