Detection: Okta Successful Single Factor Authentication

Description

The following analytic identifies successful single-factor authentication events against the Okta Dashboard for accounts without Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) enabled. It detects this activity by analyzing Okta logs for successful authentication events where "Okta Verify" is not used. This behavior is significant as it may indicate a misconfiguration, policy violation, or potential account takeover. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could gain unauthorized access to the account, potentially leading to data breaches or further exploitation within the environment.

1`okta`  action=success src_user_type = User eventType = user.authentication.verify OR eventType = user.authentication.auth_via_mfa
2| stats dc(eventType) values(eventType) as eventType values(target{}.displayName) as targets values(debugContext.debugData.url) min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(authentication_method) by src_ip user action 
3| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
4| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
5| search targets !="Okta Verify" 
6| `okta_successful_single_factor_authentication_filter`

Data Source

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

Macros Used

Name Value
okta eventtype=okta_log OR sourcetype = "OktaIM2:log"
okta_successful_single_factor_authentication_filter search *
okta_successful_single_factor_authentication_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
T1078 Valid Accounts Defense Evasion
T1078.004 Cloud Accounts Initial Access
T1621 Multi-Factor Authentication Request Generation Persistence
KillChainPhase.DELIVERY
KillChainPhase.EXPLOITAITON
KillChainPhase.INSTALLATION
KillChainPhase.WEAPONIZATION
NistCategory.DE_AE
Cis18Value.CIS_10
APT29
APT18
APT28
APT29
APT33
APT39
APT41
Akira
Axiom
Carbanak
Chimera
Cinnamon Tempest
Dragonfly
FIN10
FIN4
FIN5
FIN6
FIN7
FIN8
Fox Kitten
GALLIUM
Ke3chang
LAPSUS$
Lazarus Group
Leviathan
OilRig
POLONIUM
PittyTiger
Sandworm Team
Silence
Silent Librarian
Suckfly
Threat Group-3390
Wizard Spider
menuPass
APT28
APT29
APT33
APT5
Ke3chang
LAPSUS$
APT29
LAPSUS$
Scattered Spider

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

This detection utilizes logs from Okta environments and requires the ingestion of OktaIm2 logs through the Splunk Add-on for Okta Identity Cloud (https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/6553).

Known False Positives

Although not recommended, certain users may be exempt from multi-factor authentication. Adjust the filter as necessary.

Associated Analytic Story

Risk Based Analytics (RBA)

Risk Message Risk Score Impact Confidence
A user [$user$] has successfully logged in to Okta Dashboard with single factor authentication from IP Address - [$src_ip$]. 48 80 60
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_log OktaIM2:log
Integration ✅ Passing Dataset okta_log 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