Detection: O365 Multiple Users Failing To Authenticate From Ip

Updated Date: 2024-09-30 ID: 8d486e2e-3235-4cfe-ac35-0d042e24ecb4 Author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk Type: TTP Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

The following analytic identifies instances where more than 10 unique user accounts fail to authenticate from a single IP address within a 5-minute window. This detection leverages O365 audit logs, specifically Azure Active Directory login failures (AzureActiveDirectoryStsLogon). Such activity is significant as it may indicate brute-force attacks or password spraying attempts. If confirmed malicious, this behavior suggests an external entity is attempting to breach security by targeting multiple accounts, potentially leading to unauthorized access. Immediate action is required to block or monitor the suspicious IP and notify affected users to enhance their security measures.

1`o365_management_activity` Workload=AzureActiveDirectory Operation=UserLoginFailed ErrorNumber=50126 
2|  bucket span=5m _time 
3|  stats dc(user) as unique_accounts values(user) as user values(LogonError) as LogonError values(signature) as signature values(UserAgent) as UserAgent by _time, src_ip 
4|  where unique_accounts > 10 
5| `o365_multiple_users_failing_to_authenticate_from_ip_filter`

Data Source

Name Platform Sourcetype Source
O365 UserLoginFailed N/A 'o365:management:activity' 'o365'

Macros Used

Name Value
o365_management_activity sourcetype=o365:management:activity
o365_multiple_users_failing_to_authenticate_from_ip_filter search *
o365_multiple_users_failing_to_authenticate_from_ip_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
T1586 Compromise Accounts Resource Development
T1586.003 Cloud Accounts Resource Development
T1110 Brute Force Credential Access
T1110.003 Password Spraying Credential Access
T1110.004 Credential Stuffing Credential Access
KillChainPhase.EXPLOITAITON
KillChainPhase.WEAPONIZATION
NistCategory.DE_CM
Cis18Value.CIS_10
APT29
APT28
APT38
APT39
APT41
Agrius
DarkVishnya
Dragonfly
Ember Bear
FIN5
Fox Kitten
HEXANE
OilRig
Turla
APT28
APT29
APT33
Agrius
Chimera
Ember Bear
HEXANE
Lazarus Group
Leafminer
Silent Librarian
Chimera

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 Notable Yes
Rule Title %name%
Rule Description %description%
Notable Event Fields user, dest
Creates Risk Event True
This configuration file applies to all detections of type TTP. These detections will use Risk Based Alerting and generate Notable Events.

Implementation

You must install the Splunk Microsoft Office 365 Add-on and ingest Office 365 management activity events.

Known False Positives

A source Ip failing to authenticate with multiple users in a short period of time is not common legitimate behavior.

Associated Analytic Story

Risk Based Analytics (RBA)

Risk Message Risk Score Impact Confidence
Source Ip $src_ip$ failed to authenticate with 20 users within 5 minutes. 63 70 90
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 o365 o365:management:activity
Integration ✅ Passing Dataset o365 o365:management:activity

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: 5