In this course, we’ll explore Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a platform. We will take the perspective of a new startup company spinning up infrastructure in AWS for the very first time.
Next scheduled date:April 1st, 2026 @ 10:00 AM EDT
Description
In this course, we’ll explore Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a platform. We will take the perspective of a new startup company spinning up infrastructure in AWS for the very first time.
We’ll use a scenario-based approach, where you’ll don the persona of a security engineer on your first day at a new startup. This course will demonstrate ideas like secure-by-default and will examine services and patterns for locking down defaults using a combination of open source and platform-native tooling. Finally, attendees will walk away with a practical understanding of various controls, detections, and guardrails.
System Requirements
Students should attend the course on a laptop using a modern web browser (Chrome or Firefox)
An AWS Account owned by the learner (not a corporate account) to use as a lab environment
Syllabus
Module 1: Forming your world
Become familiar with the AWS platform
Bootstrapping static IAM users
Setting up consolidated billing and billing alarms
Introduction to Logging
Lab 1.1 Get Familiar with Common Issues
Lab 1.2 Setting up a user
Lab 1.3 Setting up command line AWS access
Lab 1.4 Setting up billing alarms using the CDK
Lab 1.5 Setting up CloudTrail
Lab 1.6 Adversary Emulation
Module 2: Deploying Sample Applications
Become familiar with infrastructure as code (IaC)
Learn to lint and secure IaC
Get familiar with serverless functions
Analyze log files using ANSI SQL
Lab 2.1 Deploying a simple application
Lab 2.2 Get familiar with Terraform
Lab 2.3 Deploying nested stacks
Lab 2.4 Setting up flow logging
Lab 2.5 Setting up DNS logging
Lab 2.6 Analyze Flow Logs
Module 3: Detecting and remediating common misconfigurations
Examining Common Misconfigurations
Auditing for different types of misconfigs using open source
Identity and Access Management mishaps and tools
Lab 3.1 Identify breach root causes
Lab 3.2 Deploying AWS Config
Lab 3.3 Auditing with Prowler
Lab 3.4 Auditing Identity with PMapper
Lab 3.5 Working with permissions boundaries
Module 4 : Maturing your security posture
Understand what guardrails are
Become familiar with AWS Organizations
Manage the lifecycle of SCPs
Building an authentication workflow using single sign on (SSO)
Creating security automations using frameworks
Lab 4.1 Enabling access analyzer
Lab 4.2 Exploring SCPs
Lab 4.3 Exploring the deployment of SCPs with Terraform
• Perform incident response in AWS
• Provide technical guidance to teams implementing security controls on AWS
• Enact user access management models
• Audit for anti-patterns in cloud security
• Prevent common types of data breaches on AWS
• Avoid common mistakes and data breaches
• Build scalable infrastructure
Students will also:
• Gain insight into how to perform architecture reviews
• Gain insight into developing runbooks and playbooks for their organization
• Gain awareness of open-source tools to force multiply the security effort
This foundational course is for folks without any AWS skillset. The ideal attendee is someone looking to pivot from traditional sysadmin to CloudSec. Attendees with moderate experience will still benefit from hands-on labs with industry-standard, open-source tools and prescriptive guidance.
This course is designed for learners at any level but is best suited for intermediate practitioners.
• Incident response cheat sheet of Athena queries
• Downloadable VM file for the course
• CloudFormation templates to bootstrap secure environments
• Attack bot infrastructure for simulation of the course attack tactics
Andrew Krug is a Security Geek specializing in Cloud and Identity and Access Management. Andrew brings 15 years experience at the intersection of security, education, and systems administration. As a fierce advocate for Open Source and founder of ThreatResponse tool suite, Andrew has helped inspire the landscape around forensics and incident response in the Cloud. Andrew has been a presenter at a variety of conferences, publishing papers with BlackHat USA, DerbyCon, and many more.
• Free ticket to the Antisyphon Training SOC Summit on March 25, 2026, a virtual event that offers a practical look at what it’s like to work in a SOC. More details here.
• Includes certificate of participation • 12 months access to Cyber Range • 6 months access to class recordings via Discord • Our appreciation
Antisyphon's On-Demand classes give you flexible, self-paced access to the same high-quality training our live events are known for. Whether you're diving into forensics, cloud security, or offensive tooling, each course includes:
Full access to video recordings, slides, and downloadable resources
Hands-on labs and virtual machines to reinforce real-world skills
Cyber Range access for immersive practice (select courses)
Dedicated Discord support from instructors and peers
Certificates of participation upon completion
Start learning when it works for you!
No deadlines, no pressure. Just real, practical cybersecurity training on your schedule.