The file follows a standard INI format. Here is what a typical ~/.aws/config file looks like:
If an application or service on a Linux server runs with root privileges, its configuration files reside in /root/.aws/config and /root/.aws/credentials . These files frequently contain: and Secret Access Keys . Session Tokens associated with IAM roles. Default regions and output formats. fetch-url-file-3A-2F-2F-2Froot-2F.aws-2Fconfig
When fully decoded, the string translates to: fetch-url-file:///root/.aws/config Anatomy of the Targeted File The file follows a standard INI format
To understand how an automated scanner or an attacker utilizes this payload, we must break down its encoding and its ultimate target. 1. URL Encoding Breakdown Session Tokens associated with IAM roles
| Encoded Segment | Decoded Value | | --- | --- | | file-3A | file: (The colon : is encoded as %3A ) | | 2F | / | | 2F | / | | 2F | / | | root | root | | 2F | / | | .aws | .aws | | 2F | / | | config | config |