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# EC2 user data exposes secrets misconfiguration detected in code

## Rule Details

|                        |                                                       |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| Cortex AppSec Rule ID  | APPSEC\_AWS\_46                                       |
| Category - Subcategory | Public Exposure - Encryption And Protocols            |
| Provider               | AWS                                                   |
| Severity               | HIGH                                                  |
| Framework              | CloudFormation, Serverless, Terraform, Terraform Plan |

## Impact

*User Data* is a metadata field of an EC2 instance that allows custom code to run after the instance is launched. It contains code exposed to any entity which has the most basic access to EC2, even read-only configurations. This code is not encrypted. Removing secrets from easily-accessed unencrypted places reduces the risk of passwords, private keys and more from being exposed to third parties.

## How to Fix

*Resource:* AWS::EC2::Instance

* *Argument:* Properties.UserData \[source,go]

***

Resources: Instance: Type: AWS::EC2::Instance Properties: ...

* UserData: "..."

***


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