Curl-url-http-3a-2f-2f169.254.169.254-2flatest-2fapi-2ftoken !link!

To successfully execute this request, you must use the PUT method and include a header specifying the token's Time-to-Live (TTL). If you are running this directly on an EC2 instance:

To understand why the /latest/api/token endpoint exists, it is vital to contrast the two versions of the AWS metadata service. IMDSv1 (Insecure by Default)

Modern firewalls and applications often strip out or block unrecognized custom headers. By requiring specific headers for both token creation and token usage, AWS leverages existing network defenses to block unauthorized access attempts. Migration and Enforcement Best Practices

The command curl -H "X-aws-ec2-metadata-token-ttl-seconds: 21600" -X PUT "http://169.254.169" curl-url-http-3A-2F-2F169.254.169.254-2Flatest-2Fapi-2Ftoken

Replace YOUR_TOKEN_HERE with the actual token received from the /latest/api/token endpoint.

The endpoint http://169.254.169.254/latest/api/token is used to retrieve a session-based authentication token for the Amazon EC2 Instance Metadata Service Version 2 (IMDSv2), which mitigates SSRF vulnerabilities. It requires an HTTP PUT request to generate a token, which is then used to securely access instance-specific metadata. For more details, visit AWS Security Blog .

: It contains sensitive configuration data, including instance IDs, network configurations, and temporary IAM security credentials assigned to the instance profile. The Evolution: IMDSv1 vs. IMDSv2 To successfully execute this request, you must use

In a live Linux environment on AWS, a systems administrator or automated script does not just pass a URL. They structure an HTTP PUT request with a defined token lifetime. The actual executed command looks like this:

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(This returns a token string.)

→ Returns a 6-hour session token.

While simple, this architecture created vulnerabilities. If an application suffered from a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability, an external attacker could trick the application into fetching these credentials, compromising the entire AWS environment. IMDSv2 (The Secure Method)

Get the full benefits of IMDSv2 and disable IMDSv1 ... - AWS By requiring specific headers for both token creation

Historically, IMDSv1 worked with simple queries: