A list of free cloud native security learning labs. Includes CTF, self-hosted workshops, guided vulnerability labs, and research labs.
| Name | Technology | Category | Author | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CloudFoxable | AWS | Self-hosted CTF Challenge | Seth Art | Create your own vulnerable by design AWS penetration testing playground |
| Pwned Labs | AWS | Author-hosted Guided Labs, CTF | Ian Austin | Requires account registration; Commercial paid subscriptions; free hosted labs for learning cloud security |
| The Big IAM Challenge | AWS | Author-hosted CTF Challenge | Wiz | CTF challenge to identify and exploit IAM misconfigurations |
| CloudSec Tidbits | AWS | Self-hosted Challenge | Doyensec | Three web app security flaws specific to AWS cloud, self-hosted with terraform |
| AWS Well-Architected Security Workshop | AWS | Self-hosted, guided labs | AWS Well-Architected | Several hands-on-labs to help you learn, measure, and improve the security of your architecture using best practices from the Security pillar of the AWS Well-Architected Framework. |
| AWS CIRT Workshop | AWS | Self-hosted, guided lab | AWS CIRT | Build with Cloudformation, explore 5 common incident response scenarios observed by AWS CIRT |
| CloudGoat | AWS | Self-hosted, guided vulnerability lab | Multiple, Rhino Security Labs | Python orchestration of terraform |
| Attacking and Defending Serverless Applications | AWS | Self-hosted, guided vulnerability workshop | Ryan Nicholson | Attack and defend a Lambda that you build in your own AWS account with author provided terraform |
| IAM Vulnerable | AWS | Self-hosted, guided vulnerability lab | Seth Art | IAM-focused priv esc playground with 31 pathways, create in your own AWS account using terraform, solid docs |
| flaws.cloud | AWS | Author-hosted, CTF challenge | Scott Piper | Challenge style with levels and clues |
| flaws2.cloud | AWS | Author-hosted, CTF challenge | Scott Piper | Challenge style Attacker and Defender paths |
| CI/CDon't | AWS | Self-hosted CTF walkthrough | Nick Frichette | Host with terraform in your own AWS account, vulnerable CI/CD CTF infrastructure |
| AWSGoat | AWS | Self-hosted, attack and defense manuals | Multiple, ine-labs | Bring your own aws account, Build with terraform, two modules, provides attack and defense manuals |
| Sadcloud | AWS | Self-hosted | Multiple, NCC Group | Terraform code; not guided like CloudGoat |
| DVCA | AWS | Self-hosted demo lab | Maxime Leblanc | Deploy a Damn Vulnerable Cloud Application in your own AWS account to practice privilege escalation |
| lambhack | AWS | Self-hosted lab | James Wickett | Deploy a very vulnerable AWS lambda serverless application in your AWS account |
| BadZure | Azure | Self-hosted lab | Mauricio Velazco | Powershell Graph SDK script that spins up your own Azure AD (Entra ID) lab with attack paths. Currently no walk through or guide. |
| Broken Azure | Azure | Author-hosted, CTF challenge | Secura | Provides hints, optionally self-host in your own Azure account using terraform |
| Mandiant Azure Workshop | Azure | Self-hosted, guided commands | Multiple | Vulnerable by design Azure lab with two scenarios; build with terraform |
| AzureGoat | Azure | Self-hosted, attack and defense manuals | Multiple, ine-labs | Bring your own Azure tenant, Build with terraform, one module, provides attack and defense manuals |
| XMGoat | Azure | Self-hosted, guided labs | Multiple | Build with terraform, 5 scenarios, solution docs provided |
| CONVEX | Azure | Self-hosted, CTF | Multiple | Spin up three Capture the Flag environments in your Azure tenant using powershell |
| GCP CTF Workshop | GCP | Self-hosted, lab guide | Marion Säckel, Marcus Hallberg | Host in your own GCP account, build with terraform using bash setup script, solution and hints provided |
| GCP Goat (Josh Jebaraj) | GCP | Self-hosted, mdbook lab guide | Josh Jebaraj | Host in your own GCP account, build with provided scripts, nice guided lab workbook |
| GCPGoat (ine-labs) | GCP | Self-hosted, attack and defense manuals | Multiple, ine-labs | Bring your own GCP account, Build with terraform, one module, provides attack and defense manuals |
| Thunder CTF | GCP | Self-hosted, CTF | Multiple | Bring your own GCP account, 6 levels, practice attacking vulnerable cloud projects on GCP |
| K8s Lan Party | Kubernetes | Author hosted, CTF challenge | Wiz | To dive into a network full of misconfigurations and exploit vulnerabilities with the goal of conquering a Kubernetes cluster |
| EKS Cluster Games | Kubernetes | Author hosted, CTF challenge | Wiz | Vulnerable EKS pod with flag challenges across environment, with leaderboard and requires registration |
| Bustakube | Kubernetes | Self-hosted, import VMs | Jay Beale | Vulnerable K8S cluster, Download the VMs to build cluster and import into VMWare, run it |
| Kubernetes Goat | Kubernetes | Self-hosted, multi-cloud, K3S | Madhu Akula | Create and host in your own cloud account (GKE, EKS, AKS) or K3S and attack, has a guided workbook |
| Kubecon NA 2019 CTF | Kubernetes | Self-hosted in GKE | Multiple | Create GCP account, has a guided workbook with two attack and defense scenarios plus bonus challenges |
| Kube Security Lab | Kubernetes | Local, kubernetes in docker | Rory McCune | An awesome local lab to create 14 vulnerable Kubernetes clusters using Docker, Ansible, and Kind. Attack them after building, then destroy. Includes walkthroughs. |
| Container Security 101 | Container | Self-hosted, guided workshop | Jon Zeolla | A guided vulnerability workshop, host in your AWS account, provided CloudFormation |
| Contained.af | Container | Self-hosted Challenge | Jessie Frazelle | A container escape challenge, break out of it and email the author |
| TerraGoat | Terraform | Self-hosted multi-cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP) | Multiple, Bridgecrew | Vulnerable by design terraform repository |
| PurpleCloud | Azure | Research Lab | Jason Ostrom | Using python and terraform, build your own Azure security lab |
| SimuLand | Azure | Research Lab | Roberto Rodriguez | Using Azure RM templates, create your own Azure security lab |
| CNAPPgoat | AWS, Azure, GCP | Research Lab | Ermetic Research | Using Pulumi, modularly provision vulnerable-by-design components in AWS, GCP, Azure |
| CI/CD Goat | CI/CD | CTF, local docker | Palo Alto | Deliberately vulnerable CI/CD environment, hacking CI/CD pipelines with CTF. Host locally with docker. |
| Github Actions Goat | CI/CD | Self-hosted Github | StepSecurity | Deliberately vulnerable Github Actions CI/CD environment, hosted in your own Github account. Includes threat scenario descriptions mapped to vulnerabilities. |
CloudFoxable: Create your own vulnerable by design AWS penetration testing playground.
Pwned Labs: Requires a login. Offers paid subscriptions. Free hosted labs for learning cloud security.
The Big IAM Challenge: CTF challenge to identify and exploit IAM misconfigurations.
CloudSec Tidbits: Three web app security flaws specific to AWS cloud, self-hosted with terraform.
AWS CIRT Workshop: Build in your own AWS account and explore 5 common incident response scenarios as seen by the AWS CIRT team.
CloudGoat: Vulnerable by design AWS security labs with guided walkthrough.
Attacking and Defending Serverless Applications: Attack and defend a Lambda that you build in your own AWS account with author provided terraform and scripts. Very educational with workshop style feel.
IAM Vulnerable: Use Terraform to create your own vulnerable by design AWS IAM privilege escalation playground with 31 privilege escalation attack pathways. Very solid documentation.
flaws.cloud: Challenge style with levels and clues.
flaws2.cloud: Challenge style with both Attacker and Defender paths.
CI/CDon't: A vulnerable CI/CD CTF challenge hosted in your aws account with terraform. Includes a walkthrough.
AWSGoat: A damn vulnerable AWS infrastructure with two attack and defense manuals.
Sadcloud: Create vulnerable AWS services without a guide showing vulnerabilities.
DVCA: Deploy a Damn Vulnerable Cloud Application in your own AWS account to practice privilege escalation.
lambhack: Deploy a very vulnerable AWS lambda serverless application in your AWS account.
AWS Well-Architected Security Workshop: Self-deployed hands-on-labs to help you learn, measure, and improve the security of your architecture using best practices from the Security pillar of the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
BadZure: Powershell Graph SDK script that spins up your own Azure AD (Entra ID) lab with attack paths. Currently no walk through or guide.
Broken Azure: A vulnerable by design Azure infrastructure that you can attack.
Mandiant Azure Workshop: Vulnerable by design Azure lab with two scenarios that you build in your own Azure tenant.
AzureGoat: Build one module with terraform and walk through the provided attack and defense manuals.
XMGoat: Build 5 scenarios in your Azure tenant and walk through solution docs provided.
CONVEX: Spin up three Capture the Flag environments in your Azure tenant using powershell.
| GCP CTF Workshop: Self-hosted, lab guide. Host in your own GCP account, build with terraform using bash setup script, solution and hints provided.
GCP Goat (Josh Jebaraj): Host in your own GCP account and build with provided scripts. It has a nice guided lab workbook.
GCPGoat (ine-labs): Bring your own GCP account and build one module with terraform. Provides attack and defense manuals.
Thunder CTF: Bring your own GCP account, 6 levels, practice attacking vulnerable cloud projects on GCP.
K8s Lan Party: To dive into a network full of misconfigurations and exploit vulnerabilities with the goal of conquering a Kubernetes cluster, with leaderboard and requires registration.
EKS Cluster Games: Vulnerable EKS pod with flag challenges across environment, with leaderboard and requires registration.
Bustakube: Download a vulnerable K8S cluster as VMs that you can import and run locally in VMWare.
Kubernetes Goat: Create and host in your own cloud account (GKE, EKS, AKS) or K3S and attack. Includes a guided workbook.
Kubecon NA 2019 CTF: Awesome CTF that you create in your GCP account. Has a guided workbook with two attack and defense scenarios plus bonus challenges.
Kube Security Lab: An awesome local lab to create 14 vulnerable Kubernetes clusters using Docker, Ansible, and Kind. Attack them after building, then destroy. Inludes walkthroughs.
Container Security 101: A guided vulnerability workshop that is hosted in your AWS account. Author has provided a nice lab you follow on the webpage and you build a VM with CloudFormation and then create a container.
Contained.af: A container escape challenge, break out of it and email the author.
TerraGoat: Vulnerable by design terraform repository.
PurpleCloud: Using python and terraform, build your own Azure security lab.
SimuLand: Using Azure RM templates, create your own Azure security lab.
CNAPPgoat: Using Pulumi, modularly provision vulnerable-by-design components in AWS, GCP, Azure. The vulnerabilities are modular scenarios with no guided walkthrough existing yet.
CI/CD Goat: Deliberately vulnerable CI/CD environment, hacking CI/CD pipelines with CTF. Host locally with docker.
Github Actions Goat: Deliberately vulnerable Github Actions CI/CD environment, hosted in your own Github account. Includes threat scenario descriptions mapped to vulnerabilities.