Real Hacking. Real Learning. Powered by NextWork

Real Hacking. Real Learning. Powered by NextWork

If you've ever wondered what it's like to simulate a real cyberattack in the cloud—and then stop it—this blog is for you.

I recently completed a cybersecurity project through NextWork.org where I got hands-on experience launching and detecting attacks in a real AWS environment. With the guidance and support provided by NextWork, I deployed a purposely vulnerable web app, launched attacks like SQL injection and command injection, and triggered real-time security alerts using Amazon GuardDuty.

What I Learned

This project wasn’t about clicking through tutorials. It was full-on cybersecurity in action. Here’s what I did:

• Deployed vulnerable infrastructure using AWS CloudFormation

• Executed red team tactics like SQL injection and command injection

• Simulated an attacker using stolen credentials in AWS CloudShell

• Triggered GuardDuty alerts in real time and analyzed them

• Enabled Malware Protection for Amazon S3 and tested it using the EICAR test file

Why I Chose to Showcase This Project

This wasn’t just a lab. It was a true end-to-end simulation where I had to think like both an attacker and a defender. What made this project even more powerful was the incredible documentation provided by NextWork.

NextWork gave me the structure and knowledge I needed to not only execute the attacks but to understand how to respond to them. That’s why I’m showcasing the actual documentation I followed—to give you a real look into how projects like this are built, guided, and delivered.

If you're serious about cybersecurity or just overall gaining experience working in the cloud, I can honestly say that NextWork is the real deal. They don’t just teach—they help you apply what you’ve learned through real, guided challenges like this one.

View the Full Project Documentation

Want to see how it all came together? Here's the complete documentation I followed during this project, hosted via Google Drive:

📄 View the GuardDuty Project PDF

Check Out More Projects

If you liked this one, I have more to share. Click the button

explore more cybersecurity challenges, AI integrations, cloud builds, and creative tech experiments I’ve been working on.

I whole heartedly appreciate these guys, they are awesome. My blogs on this site are more for cybersecurity news, threats and just cool things/programs like NextWork. I recently became Pro with them which opens up a new world of learning that I believe is only offered with NextWork. For me being a CyberSecurity Professional, it was refreshing to get the hands on experience and the community helped me out when I got stuck on any of the projects.

The thing about all of this is, you don't have to have any experience, follow instructions, and go step by step. Learning how to work, perform and develop in the cloud I feel is very important. Knowing and gaining experience on how to protect your cloud infrastructure is very important.

Thanks for reading. Stay sharp. Stay secure. 🛡️