Detection: Okta Multiple Accounts Locked Out

Updated Date: 2024-05-11 ID: a511426e-184f-4de6-8711-cfd2af29d1e1 Author: Michael Haag, Mauricio Velazco, Splunk Type: Anomaly Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

The following analytic detects multiple Okta accounts being locked out within a short period. It uses the user.account.lock event from Okta logs, aggregated over a 5-minute window, to identify this behavior. This activity is significant as it may indicate a brute force or password spraying attack, where an adversary attempts to guess passwords, leading to account lockouts. If confirmed malicious, this could result in potential account takeovers or unauthorized access to sensitive Okta accounts, posing a significant security risk.

1
2| tstats `security_content_summariesonly` count max(_time) as lastTime, min(_time) as firstTime values(All_Changes.user) as user from datamodel=Change where All_Changes.change_type=AAA All_Changes.object_category=User AND All_Changes.action=lockout AND All_Changes.command=user.account.lock by _time span=5m All_Changes.result All_Changes.command sourcetype All_Changes.src 
3| where count > 5 
4| `drop_dm_object_name("All_Changes")` 
5| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
6| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
7| `okta_multiple_accounts_locked_out_filter`

Data Source

Name Platform Sourcetype Source Supported App
Okta N/A 'OktaIM2:log' 'Okta' N/A

Macros Used

Name Value
security_content_ctime convert timeformat="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" ctime($field$)
okta_multiple_accounts_locked_out_filter search *
okta_multiple_accounts_locked_out_filter is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Annotations

- MITRE ATT&CK
+ Kill Chain Phases
+ NIST
+ CIS
- Threat Actors
ID Technique Tactic
T1110 Brute Force Credential Access
KillChainPhase.EXPLOITAITON
NistCategory.DE_AE
Cis18Value.CIS_10
APT28
APT38
APT39
DarkVishnya
Dragonfly
FIN5
Fox Kitten
HEXANE
OilRig
Turla

Default Configuration

This detection is configured by default in Splunk Enterprise Security to run with the following settings:

Setting Value
Disabled true
Cron Schedule 0 * * * *
Earliest Time -70m@m
Latest Time -10m@m
Schedule Window auto
Creates Risk Event True
This configuration file applies to all detections of type anomaly. These detections will use Risk Based Alerting.

Implementation

The analytic leverages Okta OktaIm2 logs to be ingested using the Splunk Add-on for Okta Identity Cloud (https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/6553).

Known False Positives

Multiple account lockouts may be also triggered by an application malfunction. Filter as needed, and monitor for any unusual activity.

Associated Analytic Story

Risk Based Analytics (RBA)

Risk Message Risk Score Impact Confidence
Multiple accounts locked out in Okta from [$src$]. Investigate further to determine if this was authorized. 49 70 70
The Risk Score is calculated by the following formula: Risk Score = (Impact * Confidence/100). Initial Confidence and Impact is set by the analytic author.

References

Detection Testing

Test Type Status Dataset Source Sourcetype
Validation ✅ Passing N/A N/A N/A
Unit ✅ Passing Dataset Okta OktaIM2:log
Integration ✅ Passing Dataset Okta OktaIM2:log

Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py tool or the UI. Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range

Source: GitHub | Version: 2