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Vol. 1 · Ed. 2026
CyberGlossary
Entry № 093

AWS IMDSv2

Qu'est-ce que AWS IMDSv2 ?

AWS IMDSv2The session-token-based replacement for the AWS EC2 Instance Metadata Service, designed to defeat SSRF-based credential theft of EC2 instance role tokens by requiring a PUT-issued, short-lived token on every request.


IMDSv2 is the second version of the EC2 Instance Metadata Service, introduced in 2019 in direct response to the Capital One breach and other SSRF-driven cloud credential theft attacks. Unlike IMDSv1, where any code on the instance — including a webserver tricked into making a GET to `http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/iam/security-credentials/`— could read the instance role credentials, IMDSv2 requires the client to first issue a PUT to `/latest/api/token` with a TTL header, then include the returned session token on every metadata read. A reflected or server-side request forgery cannot easily issue both calls because the PUT requires a non-default HTTP method and a custom header, and the response is a short-lived token. IMDSv2 also lets administrators set the `HttpPutResponseHopLimit` to 1, blocking containers on the host from reaching the metadata service. As of 2023, new AWS resources and most launch templates default to `HttpTokens: required`; legacy AMIs and infra still permitting IMDSv1 remain a common Wiz/CSPM finding and an active path for cloud token theft.

Exemples

  1. 01

    An EC2 launch template sets `HttpTokens: required` and `HttpPutResponseHopLimit: 1`, blocking both IMDSv1 access and container-side metadata theft.

  2. 02

    A CSPM finding flags every EC2 instance still allowing IMDSv1 because the legacy CentOS AMI was launched before the org-wide policy.

Questions fréquentes

Qu'est-ce que AWS IMDSv2 ?

The session-token-based replacement for the AWS EC2 Instance Metadata Service, designed to defeat SSRF-based credential theft of EC2 instance role tokens by requiring a PUT-issued, short-lived token on every request. Cette notion relève de la catégorie Sécurité du cloud en cybersécurité.

Que signifie AWS IMDSv2 ?

The session-token-based replacement for the AWS EC2 Instance Metadata Service, designed to defeat SSRF-based credential theft of EC2 instance role tokens by requiring a PUT-issued, short-lived token on every request.

Comment fonctionne AWS IMDSv2 ?

IMDSv2 is the second version of the EC2 Instance Metadata Service, introduced in 2019 in direct response to the Capital One breach and other SSRF-driven cloud credential theft attacks. Unlike IMDSv1, where any code on the instance — including a webserver tricked into making a GET to `http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/iam/security-credentials/`— could read the instance role credentials, IMDSv2 requires the client to first issue a PUT to `/latest/api/token` with a TTL header, then include the returned session token on every metadata read. A reflected or server-side request forgery cannot easily issue both calls because the PUT requires a non-default HTTP method and a custom header, and the response is a short-lived token. IMDSv2 also lets administrators set the `HttpPutResponseHopLimit` to 1, blocking containers on the host from reaching the metadata service. As of 2023, new AWS resources and most launch templates default to `HttpTokens: required`; legacy AMIs and infra still permitting IMDSv1 remain a common Wiz/CSPM finding and an active path for cloud token theft.

Comment se défendre contre AWS IMDSv2 ?

Les défenses contre AWS IMDSv2 combinent habituellement des contrôles techniques et des pratiques opérationnelles, comme détaillé dans la définition ci-dessus.

Quels sont les autres noms de AWS IMDSv2 ?

Noms alternatifs courants : EC2 Instance Metadata Service v2, IMDSv2.

Termes liés