Detection: O365 Block User Consent For Risky Apps Disabled

Updated Date: 2026-05-13 ID: 12a23592-e3da-4344-8545-205d3290647c Author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk Type: TTP Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

The following analytic detects when the "risk-based step-up consent" security setting in Microsoft 365 is disabled. It monitors Azure Active Directory logs for the "Update authorization policy" operation, specifically changes to the "AllowUserConsentForRiskyApps" setting. This activity is significant because disabling this feature can expose the organization to OAuth phishing threats, allowing users to grant consent to malicious applications. If confirmed malicious, attackers could gain unauthorized access to user data and sensitive information, leading to data breaches and further compromise within the organization.

Search

 1`o365_management_activity` Workload=AzureActiveDirectory Operation="Update authorization policy." 
 2| eval index_number = if(mvfind('ModifiedProperties{}.Name',"AllowUserConsentForRiskyApps") >= 0, mvfind('ModifiedProperties{}.Name',"AllowUserConsentForRiskyApps"), -1) 
 3| search index_number >= 0 
 4| eval AllowUserConsentForRiskyApps = mvindex('ModifiedProperties{}.NewValue',index_number) 
 5| where AllowUserConsentForRiskyApps like "%true%" 
 6| fillnull 
 7| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by signature dest user src vendor_account vendor_product AllowUserConsentForRiskyApps 
 8| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
 9| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
10| `o365_block_user_consent_for_risky_apps_disabled_filter`

Data Source

Name	Platform	Sourcetype	Source
O365 Update authorization policy.	Other	`'o365:management:activity'`	`'o365'`

Macros Used

Name	Value
security_content_ctime	`convert timeformat="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" ctime($field$)`
o365_block_user_consent_for_risky_apps_disabled_filter	`search *`

o365_block_user_consent_for_risky_apps_disabled_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
T1685	Disable or Modify Tools	Defense Impairment

Exploitation

DE.CM

CIS 10

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 Finding (Notable)	Yes
Rule Title	`%name%`
Rule Description	`%description%`
Notable Event Fields	user, dest
Creates Intermediate Finding (Risk Event)	No

TTP detections generate a Finding (Notable) and may generate Intermediate Findings (Risk Events) for associated entities.

Implementation

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

Known False Positives

Legitimate changes to the 'risk-based step-up consent' setting by administrators, perhaps as part of a policy update or security assessment, may trigger this alert, necessitating verification of the change's intent and authorization.

Associated Analytic Story

Office 365 Account Takeover

Finding

Title	Entity Field	Entity Type	Risk Score
Risk-based step-up consent security setting was disabled by $user$	user	user	50

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: 10