Backdoored VM Image Uploaded to Cloud Storage

Darshan Thummar@Mighty

•updated Jun 11, 2026•0•0•5

This rule detects the upload of virtual machine disk images (VMDK, OVA, OVF, QCOW2, VHD) to cloud storage via HTTP PUT requests. The rule specifically looks for HTTP PUT methods, URIs ending with common VM image file extensions, and a minimum file size of 1MB, indicating a substantial file transfer. This activity could signify an attacker attempting to upload a backdoored or malicious VM image for persistence or to establish a foothold in a cloud environment.