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Frequently Asked
Questions

Everything you need to know before connecting your AWS account.

How does GhostHunter detect ghost resources?
Scanning

GhostHunter calls standard AWS read-only Describe APIs across your selected regions to list resources and check their status. It identifies resources that are idle or unattached — EBS volumes with no instance, Elastic IPs with no association, RDS instances with near-zero connections, aged snapshots, abandoned load balancers, unused security groups, and more. Nothing is written to your account during a scan.

Which AWS resource types are supported?
Scanning

The current scanner detects the following resource types:

💾 Unattached EBS Volumes 🌐 Unassociated Elastic IPs 🗄️ Idle RDS Instances 📸 Aged Snapshots ⚖️ Abandoned Load Balancers 🪣 Unused S3 Buckets 🔒 Unused Security Groups 🔌 Orphaned ENIs 🖥️ Stopped EC2 Instances 📋 Stale CloudWatch Log Groups λ Idle Lambda Functions 🏷️ Untagged Resources

More resource types are added regularly. NAT Gateways, ElastiCache, ECR, and ECS support are on the roadmap.

Is there any risk or overhead to my production systems?
Scanning

None. GhostHunter only calls AWS read-only Describe and List APIs — the same calls you make when browsing the AWS Console. No agents, sidecars, or binaries are installed anywhere. There is zero impact on your running workloads, databases, or network. AWS Describe APIs are also free-tier eligible, so scanning does not meaningfully add to your AWS bill.

How secure is the AWS connection?
Security

GhostHunter never stores AWS credentials. You deploy an IAM Role in your account that trusts GhostHunter's AWS account ID. We call sts:AssumeRole with a unique ExternalId per account, which prevents the confused deputy attack. Your Role ARN and ExternalId are encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM). All traffic uses HTTPS. This is the same model used by Datadog, CloudHealth, and AWS Cost Explorer.

Read the full security model →
Can GhostHunter accidentally delete something?
Security

No. The default IAM role deployed in Step 1 is strictly read-only — it has zero write or delete permissions. Purge capability requires a separate optional CloudFormation update (Step 2) that you deploy yourself. Even with purge enabled, every deletion requires an explicit owner action in the UI, with a dry-run option that simulates the deletion without touching anything real. Only org owners can trigger live purges.

How do I revoke GhostHunter's access?
Security

Delete the GhostHunterScanner IAM Role from your AWS account. GhostHunter immediately loses all access — no offboarding steps needed on our side. You control access entirely through standard AWS IAM, the same way you control access for any other service.

Does scanning add to my AWS bill?
Billing

Negligibly. GhostHunter uses AWS Describe and List APIs, which are free-tier eligible and have no per-call cost for the vast majority of services. A full scan across all regions typically makes a few hundred API calls — well within AWS's free allowances. You will not see a measurable line item from GhostHunter on your AWS bill.

What is your refund policy?
Billing

You can cancel your subscription at any time from the Billing page — no lock-in contracts or minimum periods. For refund requests, please see our full policy:

Read the Refund Policy →

Still have questions?

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