Hackers Use Cloud-Based IaaS Like Amazon EC2
Cloud-based infrastructure services like Amazon EC2, which lease computer power, have been used by hackers to siphon off personal details of over 80 million users form Sony's PlayStation Network.
Hackers used Amazon's Elastic Computer service to assault PSN, using a proxy name to set up an account with Amazon. This attack forced Sony to shut down the PlayStation Network in April, and the company later confirmed that its Sand Diego based online unit was also targeted. Developers and companies can now rent computing power from IaaS providers like Amazon that would otherwise require heavy investments in raising server farms. Yet it is no longer just a favorite of companies looking for cost savings as it has attracted hackers and malicious code crackers since late 2010. Two security researchers used EC2 to produce a DoS attack against an SMB at the DEF Con 2010, and a German researcher also used it to crack the password of a WPA-PSK protected network in under 20 minutes.