AWS CloudShell Environment Created

Last updated 6 days ago on 2026-03-12

Created 6 days ago on 2026-03-12

About

Identifies the creation of a new AWS CloudShell environment. CloudShell is a browser-based shell that provides command-line access to AWS resources directly from the AWS Management Console. The CreateEnvironment API is called when a user launches CloudShell for the first time or when accessing CloudShell in a new AWS region. Adversaries with console access may use CloudShell to execute commands, install tools, or interact with AWS services without needing local CLI credentials. Monitoring environment creation helps detect unauthorized CloudShell usage from compromised console sessions.

Tags

Domain: CloudData Source: AWSData Source: Amazon Web ServicesData Source: AWS CloudTrailData Source: AWS CloudShellUse Case: Threat DetectionTactic: ExecutionLanguage: kuery

Severity

low

Risk Score

MITRE ATT&CK™

Execution (TA0002)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

↳ Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

False Positive Examples

Legitimate use of CloudShell by administrators for routine AWS management tasks. Verify whether the user has a legitimate need for CloudShell access and correlate with recent console login activity. Environment creation also occurs when users access CloudShell in a new AWS region.

License

Elastic License v2(external, opens in a new tab or window)

Definition

Rule Type: Query (Kibana Query Language)
Integration Pack: Prebuilt Security Detection Rules
Index Patterns: filebeat-*logs-aws.cloudtrail-*
Related Integrations: aws(external, opens in a new tab or window)
Query

✄𐘗text code block:
✄𐘗event.dataset: "aws.cloudtrail"
    and event.provider: "cloudshell.amazonaws.com"
    and event.action: "CreateEnvironment"
    and event.outcome: "success"

Install detection rules in Elastic Security

Detect AWS CloudShell Environment Created in the Elastic Security detection engine by installing this rule into your Elastic Stack.

To setup this rule, check out the installation guide for Prebuilt Security Detection Rules(external, opens in a new tab or window).