Cloud in the Crosshairs: Exposing Vulnerabilities Across Open-Source Cloud Platforms

Cloud in the Crosshairs: Exposing Vulnerabilities Across Open-Source Cloud Platforms | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Cloud in the Crosshairs: Exposing Vulnerabilities Across Open-Source Cloud Platforms Alexandros Perrakis, Efstratios Chatzoglou, Vyron Kampourakis, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7496016/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The security of open-source cloud platforms is paramount, given their widespread adoption in modern business operations. This study conducts a large-scale empirical security analysis of the web-based management interfaces of ten widely used open-source IaaS platforms. Using a black-box penetration testing methodology, we identified a total of 16 vulnerabilities spanning nine classes, including high-severity flaws that enable account takeover. Our findings, which culminated in the assignment of six new Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) IDs, highlight a recurring pattern of security failures stemming from improper authentication, input validation, and server misconfigurations. In addition to a responsible vulnerability disclosure process, this work provides practical hardening recommendations to mitigate the identified weaknesses. By documenting these vulnerabilities and offering concrete mitigations, this research contributes to enhancing the security posture of cloud IaaS platforms and informs the development of more resilient web applications. First keyword Second keyword More Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 12 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 12 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 14 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Oct, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 14 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 04 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 04 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 30 Aug, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7496016","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":510095044,"identity":"32a83055-7ec9-4e54-ab31-1dcf2f996151","order_by":0,"name":"Alexandros Perrakis","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of the Aegean","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alexandros","middleName":"","lastName":"Perrakis","suffix":""},{"id":510095045,"identity":"79416904-993c-43de-b159-b385ea55dedf","order_by":1,"name":"Efstratios Chatzoglou","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of the Aegean","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Efstratios","middleName":"","lastName":"Chatzoglou","suffix":""},{"id":510095046,"identity":"91dac730-7c6d-4638-a160-e70184319b04","order_by":2,"name":"Vyron Kampourakis","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA90lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYPCCBDiDh4G9gWQtPAcYidGUgMSQSMCvxeBG7sPHBQxp8rqzm49JV9SkycjPfHv8cWEbQx4/Ti3pxsYzGHIMt905liZ55lgOj8HtvMTmmW0MxZI47JKckcYmzcNQwbjtRo6ZZANbBY+BdI5hM28bQ+KGA/i12EO0/KvgkZ95Br8WfgmwlpxEsJbGthwehhs8BLTwPGM25jFISwb6JdmysS+Nx+BMjuFsnnMSiTNx+IWNPY3xMU9Fsu22280HbzZ8S7aXbz9j8JmnzCaxH0eIMQgkAAkDIJZAFZfAohbmsgOE1YyCUTAKRsEIBwAMdVTEbKpTVwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Norwegian University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vyron","middleName":"","lastName":"Kampourakis","suffix":""},{"id":510095047,"identity":"4f93b1ab-51b2-4e22-9bc2-5f0ec37d90df","order_by":3,"name":"Georgios Kambourakis","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of the Aegean","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Georgios","middleName":"","lastName":"Kambourakis","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-08-30 14:53:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7496016/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7496016/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":90800060,"identity":"16fd3ab2-a0cb-49c4-842d-e9ac663c3627","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-08 10:06:08","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":444395,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"CloudintheCrosshairsExposingVulnerabilitiesAcrossOpenSourceCloudPlatforms.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7496016/v1_covered_9b839600-0465-4b78-b60d-4be51338a9a1.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Cloud in the Crosshairs: Exposing Vulnerabilities Across Open-Source Cloud Platforms","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-information-security","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ijis","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Information Security](http://link.springer.com/journal/10207)","snPcode":"10207","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10207/3","title":"International Journal of Information Security","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"First keyword, Second keyword, More","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7496016/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7496016/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"The security of open-source cloud platforms is paramount, given their widespread adoption in modern business operations. 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