Fetch-url-http-3a-2f-2f169.254.169.254-2flatest-2fmeta: Data-2fiam-2fsecurity Credentials-2f

– Best practices for assigning least-privilege instance roles, rotating credentials, and using workload identity federation instead of static or metadata-fetched keys.

http://169.254.169 is a link-local address for the AWS Instance Metadata Service, used to retrieve temporary security credentials for EC2 instances. While essential for IAM role authentication, this endpoint is a primary target for Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) attacks, requiring the implementation of IMDSv2 to secure instances against credential theft. You can learn more about securing instances on the AWS website.

: Ensure that only authorized instances and applications can access these credentials. AWS controls access via IAM roles, ensuring that only instances with a role attached can fetch the credentials.

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