Pentesting With AWS Security Agent
AWSOfficialPublished by AWS
- Skill
- Workflow
- Security
- Apache-2.0
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AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
This skill provides a structured procedure for conducting active penetration tests on live web applications using the AWS Security Agent. It covers the entire lifecycle from domain registration and verification to job execution, status polling, and the retrieval of runtime findings. The workflow ensures that security testing is performed systematically, with built-in requirements for authorization and configuration management to maintain operational integrity.
What it does
- Registers and verifies target domains for security testing
- Initiates and manages long-running penetration test jobs
- Polls for job status updates every 15 minutes
- Retrieves and categorizes runtime security findings by severity
- Generates detailed markdown reports for completed penetration tests
- Integrates with existing configuration files to reuse verified domain settings
When to use it
- When you need to perform an active penetration test on a live web application
- When you need to identify runtime vulnerabilities in your application's attack surface
- When you need to verify the status or results of an ongoing security scan
- When you need to register a new domain for authorized security testing
Advantages
- Automates the complex multi-step process of setting up and running a pentest
- Ensures consistent reporting by grouping findings by severity
- Reduces manual overhead by handling status polling and report generation
- Promotes secure practices by requiring explicit authorization before testing
Usage examples
- “Run a penetration test against my web application.”
- The agent will verify the target domain, initiate the pentest job, and provide updates on the progress until findings are generated.
- “Check the status of my current pentest job.”
- The agent will query the status of the active job and report whether it is still in progress or completed.
- “What are the findings from my latest security scan?”
- The agent will list the identified vulnerabilities grouped by severity and provide a link to the full report file.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/aws/pentesting-with-aws-security-agent/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip pentesting-with-aws-security-agent.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by AWS
AWS Security Agent — Penetration Test
This skill handles pentest setup, execution, and findings. Initial Security Agent setup (agent space, role, bucket) is handled by the setup-security-agent skill — if .security-agent/config.json is missing, the pentest workflow auto-runs setup inline first.
Pentests are slow (1-24 hours) and active — they probe a real running app. Always confirm the user is authorized to test the target before starting.
Resolving the values you need
The CLI examples below use placeholders. Resolve them at the start of every pentest:
| Placeholder | How to resolve |
|---|---|
<id> (agent space) | config.agent_space_id |
<region> | config.region (default us-east-1) |
<account> | aws sts get-caller-identity --query Account --output text (cache for the rest of the turn) |
<role-arn> | arn:aws:iam::<account>:role/SecurityAgentScanRole |
<td-id> | targetDomainId returned by create-target-domain (cache under config.target_domains[<domain>]) |
<pentest-id> | pentestId returned by create-pentest |
<pj-id> | pentestJobId returned by start-pentest-job |
Pre-pentest checks
Read
.security-agent/config.json. If missing → tell the user one line — "First pentest in this workspace — running setup first." — and run thesetup-security-agentworkflow inline before continuing.Verify agent space still exists:
aws securityagent batch-get-agent-spaces --agent-space-ids <id>If missing, clear
agent_space_idfromconfig.jsonand runsetup-security-agentagain.Resolve account and role ARN from the table above.
Authorization check: ask the user "Do you own or have explicit permission to pentest
<target>?" if it's not obvious from context. Do not proceed without confirmation.
Workflow
1. Register target domain (one-time per domain)
aws securityagent create-target-domain --agent-space-id <id> \
--target-domain-name <domain> --verification-method HTTP_ROUTEThe response includes a verification token / route. Tell the user what to put on their server (typically a .well-known/... file or HTTP route returning a token), then:
aws securityagent verify-target-domain --agent-space-id <id> --target-domain-id <td-id>Persist the verified target_domain_id in .security-agent/config.json under target_domains: { "<domain>": "<td-id>" } so future pentests can reuse it.
2. Create a pentest
Ask the user for:
Title (no spaces — use hyphens; default
pentest-<timestamp>)Endpoints to test (one or more URIs under the verified domain)
aws securityagent create-pentest --agent-space-id <id> --title <title> \
--service-role <role-arn> \
--assets endpoints=[{uri=https://example.com/api/login},{uri=https://example.com/api/upload}]Capture pentestId.
3. Start the pentest job
aws securityagent start-pentest-job --agent-space-id <id> --pentest-id <pentest-id>Capture pentestJobId. Append to .security-agent/pentests.json (create as [] if it doesn't exist yet — the directory itself is already created by setup):
{
"pentest_id": "p-...",
"pentest_job_id": "pj-...",
"agent_space_id": "as-...",
"title": "pentest-...",
"endpoints": ["https://..."],
"started_at": "2026-06-01T20:00:00Z",
"status": "IN_PROGRESS"
}Tell user: "Pentest started ({pentest_job_id}). Pentests typically run 1-24 hours depending on scope. I'll check every 15 minutes — say 'stop polling' to opt out."
4. Polling loop
sleep 900(15 minutes) between checks. Do not poll faster.Status:
aws securityagent batch-get-pentest-jobs --agent-space-id <id> --pentest-job-ids <pj-id>Only respond when
statuschanges or on terminal state (COMPLETED,FAILED,STOPPED).On
COMPLETED→ run the Findings workflow.
5. Findings
aws securityagent list-findings --agent-space-id <id> --pentest-job-id <pj-id>If nextToken is returned, call again with --next-token <token> until empty.
aws securityagent batch-get-findings --agent-space-id <id> --finding-ids <id1> <id2> ...Present in chat grouped by severity (same icons + format as code scans):
🟣 CRITICAL: {name}
Endpoint: {endpoint}
{description}Write a full report to .security-agent/pentest-{pentest_job_id}.md with every field returned (findingId, name, description, riskLevel, riskType, confidence, status, endpoint, request/response samples if present, and remediationCode if present).
Tell user: "Full details written to .security-agent/pentest-{pentest_job_id}.md"
6. Stop a pentest
aws securityagent stop-pentest-job --agent-space-id <id> --pentest-job-id <pj-id>Rules
Always confirm authorization to test the target before starting
Verify the target domain before creating a pentest —
create-pentestwill fail otherwiseReuse a verified
target_domain_idfromconfig.jsoninstead of re-verifyingPentest titles must not contain spaces — use hyphens
Poll every 15 minutes max — pentests are long-running
Don't auto-restart a failed pentest — show the failure to the user first
Troubleshooting
ValidationExceptiononverify-target-domain→ the verification route isn't responding correctly yet. Ask user to confirm the route is live and serving the expected token.target domain not verified→ run verify-target-domain (step 1) again.Pentest stuck in
IN_PROGRESSfor >24 hours → likely a backend issue or the target is unreachable. Stop and inspect.AccessDeniedon the service role → the service role doesn't have the network/runtime permissions a pentest needs. The defaultSecurityAgentScanRoleis for code scans only — pentests against AWS resources may need broader permissions. Direct user to the AWS Security Agent console to configure a pentest-specific role.
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer954 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer9.9 KiB
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Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Needs a command-line tool
Security
No issues found by our static scan· No issues found
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Attribution and licence
- Published by
- AWS
- Publisher
- AWS (Official)
- Source
- aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws · plugins/aws-agents-for-devsecops/skills/pentesting-with-aws-security-agent · commit 0a218f8
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- NOTICE (added by AutoGineer from NOTICE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
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