Cloud Penetration Testing Services (AWS/Azure/GCP): The Complete Buyer’s Guide

Introduction: Why Cloud Pen Testing Is Now a CISO Priority

Cloud environments are not “secure by default.”

As businesses move more workloads into AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, attackers increasingly target cloud identity systems, serverless functions, misconfigured storage, vulnerable APIs, and over-privileged IAM roles.

And here’s the truth:

Most cloud breaches happen despite having CSPM tools, compliance scans, or basic cloud security checklists.

Real attackers don’t follow checklists.
They exploit:

• IAM privilege escalation paths
• Publicly exposed storage buckets
• Misconfigured APIs
• Weak cross-account trust policies
• Cloud metadata abuse (SSRF → token theft)
• Lateral movement across cloud services

This is why cloud penetration testing — real offensive security, not automated scanning — is now essential.

This guide will show you:

• What cloud pen testing includes
• What AWS/Azure/GCP allow and restrict
• The methodology real attackers use
• The true cost of a cloud pen test
• How to evaluate cloud testing providers
• Why Bluefire’s offensive approach delivers deeper findings

If you’re a CISO, Cloud Architect, or Security Lead preparing for a cloud pen test, this guide is your blueprint.

What Is Cloud Penetration Testing? (Simple Definition)

Cloud Penetration Testing is a human-led offensive security assessment designed to identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and exploitable attack paths across cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP.

The goal is NOT simply finding vulnerabilities — it’s simulating how a real attacker would:

• Escalate privileges
• Exploit cloud services
• Move laterally between accounts and workloads
• Access sensitive data
• Compromise your cloud identity system
• Exfiltrate data without detection

Cloud Pen Testing vs Cloud Security Audits

Cloud Security Audit	Cloud Penetration Test
Checklist-driven	Attack-driven
Automated scanning	Human exploitation
Ensures compliance	Simulates real adversaries
Surface-level findings	Deep attack path analysis
Identifies misconfigurations	Exploits them

Bottom line:
Audits tell you what might be wrong.
Pen testing shows you what can actually be broken.

How Cloud Pen Testing Works Under the Shared Responsibility Model

Each cloud provider has unique testing rules. Here’s what you can (and can’t) test.

AWS Penetration Testing: What’s Allowed

Allowed (no AWS approval required):

• IAM privilege escalation testing
• S3 bucket misconfiguration exploitation
• SSRF → instance metadata access
• EC2 instance exploitation
• Lambda/serverless abuse
• API Gateway exploitation
• CloudFront misconfigurations
• Testing customer-owned applications/services
• Testing customer-controlled network configurations

Not Allowed:

• DoS / DDoS
• Stress testing
• Port flooding
• Attacking AWS-owned infrastructure
• Excessive load generation

Azure Penetration Testing: What’s Allowed

Allowed:

• Azure AD privilege escalation
• Key Vault access testing
• Blob Storage attacks
• Azure VM exploitation
• Azure SQL testing
• App Service endpoint exploitation
• Identity & trust policy review

Not Allowed:

• DoS
• High-volume traffic testing
• Disruptive activities on shared infrastructure

GCP Penetration Testing: What’s Allowed

Allowed:

• IAM role chaining
• Cloud Storage misconfigurations
• Cloud Run/Functions attacks
• VPC firewall bypass attempts
• Privilege escalation across services

Not Allowed:

• Tests that disrupt Google’s shared infrastructure
• Traffic amplification (DoS)

Cloud Pen Testing vs Automated Cloud Tools: Why Human Testing Wins

You’ve probably heard this from vendors:

“Our cloud scanner finds everything a pen test can.”

That’s false — dangerously false.

What Automated Tools (CSPM/BAS) Can Do:

• Detect misconfigurations
• Map assets
• Recommend best practices
• Identify known vulnerabilities

What Automated Tools Cannot Do:

❌ Chain vulnerabilities into real attack paths
❌ Exploit IAM privilege escalation
❌ Abuse real credentials
❌ Test response to adversarial behavior
❌ Simulate realistic ransomware impact
❌ Perform cloud → on-prem lateral movement

What Human Cloud Pen Testers Can Do (and Bluefire excels at):

✔ Identify multi-step privilege abuse
✔ Create novel attack chains
✔ Exploit high-impact misconfigurations
✔ Target business-sensitive data
✔ Validate real-world risk
✔ Simulate real-world cloud attacker TTPs

This is why cloud pen testing is the only way to uncover business-impact vulnerabilities that scanners miss.

Read Our Case Study

Cloud Penetration Testing Pricing Guide

Cloud testing costs vary based on cloud size, complexity, and the level of threat simulation required.

Typical Price Range (Industry Standard):

• The typical price ranges can be from 2000 USD to 10,000 USD, depending on the scope.

Factors That Affect Pricing:

• Number of AWS/Azure/GCP accounts
• Number of cloud services used
• Identity complexity (IAM/Azure AD)
• Hybrid cloud integration
• API count and sensitivity
• Regulatory requirements (PCI, HIPAA, SOC 2)
• Need for source-code review
• Required threat simulation depth

What You Should Never Pay For

❌ Automated scanning sold as “pen testing”
❌ CSPM configuration checks disguised as offensive testing
❌ Generic reports with no exploit proof
❌ Providers who don’t demonstrate cloud exploitation expertise

Bluefire Redteam’s Cloud Pen Testing Methodology

Our method is designed to reflect real attacker behaviour, not compliance checklists.

1. Cloud Recon & Enumeration

We begin by mapping your cloud identity, assets, and exposure points:

• Enumerate IAM roles, policies & trust relationships
• Identify overprivileged accounts
• Analyze VPC architecture
• Identify public-facing assets
• Inventory cloud services (Lambda, S3, EC2, RDS, etc.)
• Detect exposed endpoints & cloud APIs

This forms the attack surface.

2. Misconfiguration Exploitation

This is where 80–90% of cloud breaches originate.

We test:

• Publicly accessible S3/Blob/Cloud Storage
• API Gateway misconfigurations
• Exposed web apps
• Weak secrets stored in cloud metadata
• Insecure serverless functions
• Overly permissive security groups
• IAM trust policy weaknesses

This is where automated tools produce false positives.
Bluefire exploit paths produce proof of compromise.

3. IAM Privilege Escalation Testing

IAM is the heart of cloud security — and the top target of attackers.

We simulate:

• Role chaining
• Abusable IAM actions
• Token theft
• Temporary credential abuse
• Compromised identity scenarios
• Lateral privilege movement
• Dormant privilege path exploitation

This is the most valuable part of a cloud pen test.
It exposes how attackers can escalate from “low” permissions to full admin.

4. Lateral Movement Testing

Cloud lateral movement is subtle and invisible to most detection tools.

Bluefire tests movement paths such as:

• EC2 → RDS
• Lambda → DynamoDB
• Azure VM → Key Vault
• GCP Compute → Cloud Storage
• IAM → CloudTrail tampering
• Cloud → On-Prem (hybrid pivoting)

This simulates a real advanced adversary.

5. Cloud Data Exfiltration Testing

We validate:

• Whether data can leave the cloud undetected
• If logs capture exfil behavior
• If DLP tools block real exploit traffic
• If data can be routed via legitimate services
• If multi-account boundaries stop attackers

This assesses business impact, not just vulnerabilities.

6. Reporting, Remediation & Retesting

Our reports are built for CISOs, engineers, and auditors.

Executive Report Includes:

• Attack overview
• Real-world business impact
• Risk scoring
• Visual attack path diagrams

Technical Report Includes:

• Step-by-step exploitation detail
• Tools and techniques used
• IAM path abuse evidence
• Cloud-native exploit chains

Remediation & Retesting

We verify fixes at no extra cost.

(Not all vendors do this — good pen testing isn’t complete without it.)

Cloud Pen Testing Deliverables

You receive:

• Full cloud attack surface map
• Vulnerability evidence & exploitation details
• IAM privilege escalation pathway maps
• Risk-prioritized remediation guidance
• Cloud architecture security recommendations
• Executive summary for leadership
• Proof-of-exploit screenshots
• Retesting validation report

These deliverables satisfy technical teams, executives, and compliance auditors.

How to Choose a Cloud Pen Test Provider

CISOs should evaluate providers based on:

Technical Cloud Expertise

Do they have real hands-on cloud exploitation experience, not just compliance background?

Offensive Security Focus

Bluefire specializes exclusively in offensive security, not general IT consulting.

Multi-Cloud Capability

AWS, Azure, GCP… most environments are hybrid now.

Evidence-Based Findings

Reports must include exploit chains + evidence.

Methodology Transparency

Real attackers don’t follow checklists — neither do we.

Why Companies Choose Bluefire Redteam for Cloud Pen Testing

Bluefire is trusted by organizations that cannot afford cloud compromise.

Here’s why:

1. Offensive Security is All We Do

We are not auditors or compliance consultants.
We are attackers who think like attackers.

2. Multi-Cloud Exploitation Experts

Our operators specialize in AWS, Azure, and GCP exploitation paths.

3. Real Attack Simulation — Not Scanning

Every test includes:

• IAM abuse
• Lateral movement
• Real exploitation
• Cloud-native attacks
• Hybrid attack simulation

4. Enterprise-Ready Reporting

Clear, concise, actionable, and tailored for both executives and engineers.

5. Retesting Included

We verify remediations — because security isn’t complete without validation.

6. Fast Turnaround & Transparent Pricing

No hidden fees. No vague scopes. No nonsense.

Ready to Strengthen Your Cloud Security?

Your cloud is only as secure as your most exploitable IAM role, weakest API, or misconfigured bucket.

Bluefire’s offensive security team identifies and exploits real weaknesses before attackers do.

👉 Book a Cloud Penetration Test

👉 Request a Scoping Call