Lab Environment Setup

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Understand the recommended lab architecture.
Create cloud accounts for hands-on practice.
Build a safe penetration testing environment.
Install required tools.
Configure your local workstation.
Prepare for every practical lab in this course.

Why Build a Lab Environment?

Cloud penetration testing is a practical skill.

Reading theory alone is not enough.

To become a professional Cloud Penetration Tester, you need an environment where you can safely:

Learn cloud services.
Deploy vulnerable resources.
Practice reconnaissance.
Identify security misconfigurations.
Perform authorised security testing.
Validate remediation techniques.

Throughout this course, you will build and improve your own professional cloud security lab.

Lab Design Principles

Our lab environment follows these principles:

Safe
Isolated
Low Cost
Repeatable
Easy to Rebuild
Enterprise Inspired

Always use dedicated training accounts or approved lab environments.

Recommended Lab Architecture

                 Local Computer
                        │
        ┌───────────────┼────────────────┐
        │               │                │
        ▼               ▼                ▼
     AWS Lab        Azure Lab       Google Cloud Lab
        │               │                │
        └───────────────┼────────────────┘
                        │
                Kubernetes Cluster
                        │
          Docker Containers & Applications
                        │
             Vulnerable Cloud Resources

Lab Components

Throughout the course, you will use:

AWS
Microsoft Azure
Google Cloud Platform
Kali Linux
Docker
Kubernetes
Git
Terraform
Visual Studio Code

Local Computer Requirements

Recommended specifications:

Component	Recommended
CPU	4+ Cores
RAM	16 GB or more
Storage	100 GB Free SSD
Operating System	Windows 11, macOS or Linux
Internet	Stable Broadband

Minimum:

8 GB RAM
50 GB Storage

Cloud Accounts

Create free or training accounts for:

Amazon Web Services

Use:

AWS Free Tier
AWS Academy
AWS Skill Builder Sandbox
Employer Training Account

Recommended services:

IAM
EC2
S3
VPC
CloudTrail
CloudWatch
Lambda
EKS

Microsoft Azure

Recommended:

Azure Free Account
Azure Student Subscription
Employer Lab

Services:

Azure AD
Azure VM
Storage Account
Virtual Network
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Google Cloud

Recommended:

Google Cloud Free Tier
Google Cloud Skills Boost
Employer Lab

Services:

Compute Engine
Cloud Storage
IAM
GKE
Secret Manager

Local Software Installation

Install the following software before starting the labs.

Web Browser

Recommended:

Google Chrome
Microsoft Edge
Firefox

Visual Studio Code

Install:

VS Code
YAML Extension
Docker Extension
Kubernetes Extension
Terraform Extension
Git Extension
Markdown Extension

Git

Install Git.

Verify:

git --version

Python

Install Python 3.

Verify:

python --version

python3 --version

Docker Desktop

Install Docker Desktop.

Verify:

docker version

Kubernetes CLI

Install kubectl.

Verify:

kubectl version --client

Helm

Install Helm.

Verify:

helm version

Cloud Command Line Tools

Install the following CLIs.

AWS CLI

Verify:

aws --version

Configure:

aws configure

Azure CLI

Verify:

az version

az login

Google Cloud CLI

Verify:

gcloud version

gcloud auth login

Recommended Security Tools

Install the following tools.

Reconnaissance

Nmap
ffuf
Gobuster

Cloud Assessment

ScoutSuite
Prowler
CloudFox
Pacu

Container Security

Trivy
Kubescape
kube-bench
kube-hunter

General Utilities

jq
curl
wget
OpenSSL

Kali Linux

You can use:

Virtual Machine
Dual Boot
Windows WSL2
Cloud Virtual Machine

Recommended tools already included:

Nmap
Burp Suite Community
Metasploit Framework
Wireshark
Hydra
SQLMap
Gobuster

Virtualisation

Recommended software:

VMware Workstation
VirtualBox
Hyper-V

Suggested virtual machines:

Kali Linux
Ubuntu Server
Windows Server (optional)

Docker Environment

Install Docker Desktop.

Validate:

docker run hello-world

Learn:

Images
Containers
Volumes
Networks
Registries

Kubernetes Lab

Options:

Option 1

Minikube

Option 2

Kind (Kubernetes in Docker)

Option 3

Amazon EKS

Option 4

Azure Kubernetes Service

Option 5

Google Kubernetes Engine

Suggested Folder Structure

Create a dedicated workspace.

Cloud-Pentest-Lab/

├── AWS/
├── Azure/
├── GCP/
├── Kubernetes/
├── Docker/
├── Scripts/
├── Reports/
├── Evidence/
├── Screenshots/
├── Terraform/
├── Notes/
└── Tools/

Lab Accounts

Create separate identities for:

Administrator
Security Engineer
Developer
Read-Only User
Auditor

This allows you to practise IAM assessments and privilege testing safely.

Cost Optimisation Tips

To reduce cloud costs:

Use Free Tier resources.
Delete unused virtual machines.
Stop EC2 instances when not in use.
Remove unused Kubernetes clusters.
Delete unattached storage volumes.
Use small instance types for labs.
Destroy infrastructure after completing exercises.

Always review your cloud billing dashboard.

Security Guidelines

Only test:

Your own accounts.
Approved training environments.
Deliberately vulnerable labs.
Employer-approved penetration testing environments.

Never test:

Production systems without authorisation.
Third-party cloud environments.
Public cloud resources you do not own.
Other students’ environments.

Backup Your Work

Maintain:

Git repository
Lab notes
Screenshots
Reports
Terraform code
Scripts

Version control makes it easier to rebuild your environment.

Lab Validation Checklist

Before beginning the next module, confirm:

Common Lab Issues

Problem	Solution
CLI login fails	Re-authenticate and verify credentials
Docker not starting	Restart Docker Desktop and check virtualization settings
kubectl cannot connect	Verify kubeconfig and cluster context
AWS CLI authentication error	Run `aws configure` again
Azure login issue	Run `az login`
GCP authentication issue	Run `gcloud auth login`
Billing warning	Delete unused cloud resources

Best Practices

Use separate lab accounts.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
Rotate access credentials regularly.
Keep operating systems updated.
Use Infrastructure as Code whenever possible.
Document every exercise.
Destroy unused infrastructure after completing labs.
Review cloud bills regularly.

Knowledge Check

1. Why should you use dedicated cloud accounts for labs?

Answer: Dedicated lab accounts isolate testing activities, reduce the risk of affecting production resources and make it easier to manage permissions and costs.

2. Why is Docker important for Cloud Penetration Testing?

Answer: Docker allows you to build, deploy and assess containerised applications, which are widely used in modern cloud environments.

3. Why should you use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for your lab?

Answer: IaC enables you to create, rebuild and destroy cloud environments consistently, making labs repeatable and easier to manage.

4. Why should you regularly delete unused cloud resources?

Answer: Removing unused resources reduces cloud costs, minimises your attack surface and keeps your lab environment organised.

5. What is the most important rule when performing cloud penetration testing?

Answer: Only perform security testing against environments that you own or have explicit authorisation to assess.

What’s Next?

In the next lesson, we will review the Required Knowledge needed before starting cloud penetration testing, including networking, Linux, cloud fundamentals, scripting, security concepts and penetration testing methodology.

➡️ Next Lesson: Lesson 05 — Required Knowledge