GetParameters
AWS
GetParameters
Event
Retrieves one or more parameters from AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store, optionally decrypting SecureString values.
Security Context
- Enumerating cloud resources helps adversaries map the environment to identify high-value targets, security controls, and potential pivot points.
- Accessing stored credentials or secrets can provide adversaries with keys to additional systems, enabling lateral movement and privilege escalation.
Log Source
CloudTrail
Sample Event
Adversarial — credential access. Draco — using stolen instance-profile credentials from the OCCAMY pipeline EC2 (same chain as aws-getauthorizationtoken) — calls GetParameters with WithDecryption: true against three SecureString parameters under /bowtruckle/prod/. The decrypt flag flips this from “innocent SSM read” to “high-fidelity credential-harvest” in every detection content library. T1552 + T1526.
{ "eventVersion": "1.09", "userIdentity": { "type": "AssumedRole", "principalId": "AROAOCCAMYP1PEL1NE02:i-0occamy0000000001", "arn": "arn:aws:sts::555123456789:assumed-role/OccamyPipelineRole/i-0occamy0000000001", "accountId": "555123456789", "accessKeyId": "ASIAOCCAMY1MDS5SESS01", "sessionContext": { "sessionIssuer": { "type": "Role", "principalId": "AROAOCCAMYP1PEL1NE02", "arn": "arn:aws:iam::555123456789:role/OccamyPipelineRole", "accountId": "555123456789", "userName": "OccamyPipelineRole" }, "attributes": { "creationDate": "2026-04-15T21:09:14Z", "mfaAuthenticated": "false" }, "ec2RoleDelivery": "2.0" } }, "eventTime": "2026-04-15T21:34:11Z", "eventSource": "ssm.amazonaws.com", "eventName": "GetParameters", "awsRegion": "us-east-1", "sourceIPAddress": "203.0.113.66", "userAgent": "aws-cli/1.18.147 Python/3.7.10 Linux/5.4.0-1045-aws botocore/1.18.6", "requestParameters": { "names": [ "/bowtruckle/prod/db/master-password", "/bowtruckle/prod/api/stripe-webhook-secret", "/bowtruckle/prod/oauth/google-client-secret" ], "withDecryption": true }, "responseElements": null, "requestID": "90000000-0000-4000-8000-000101000000", "eventID": "90000000-0000-4000-8000-000101000001", "readOnly": true, "eventType": "AwsApiCall", "managementEvent": true, "recipientAccountId": "555123456789", "eventCategory": "Management", "tlsDetails": { "tlsVersion": "TLSv1.3", "cipherSuite": "TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256", "clientProvidedHostHeader": "ssm.us-east-1.amazonaws.com" }}MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
Tactics: Credential Access Discovery
Techniques:
- T1552 — Unsecured Credentials — Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials. These credentials can be stored and/or misplaced in many locations on a system, including plaintext files (e.g. [Shell History](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1552/003)), operating system or applica...
- T1526 — Cloud Service Discovery — An adversary may attempt to enumerate the cloud services running on a system after gaining access. These methods can differ from platform-as-a-service (PaaS), to infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), or software-as-a-service (SaaS). Many services exist throughout the various cloud providers and can...