ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1110 | Brute Force | Credential Access |
T1110.001 | Password Guessing | Credential Access |
Detection: O365 High Number Of Failed Authentications for User
Description
The following analytic identifies an O365 account experiencing more than 20 failed authentication attempts within 5 minutes. It uses O365 Unified Audit Logs, specifically "UserLoginFailed" events, to monitor and flag accounts exceeding this threshold. This activity is significant as it may indicate a brute force attack or password guessing attempt. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could gain unauthorized access to the O365 environment, potentially compromising sensitive emails, documents, and other data. Prompt investigation and action are crucial to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.
Search
1`o365_management_activity` Operation=UserLoginFailed record_type=AzureActiveDirectoryStsLogon Workload=AzureActiveDirectory
2| bucket span=5m _time
3| stats dc(_raw) AS failed_attempts values(src_ip) as src_ip by user, _time
4| where failed_attempts > 10
5| `o365_high_number_of_failed_authentications_for_user_filter`
Data Source
Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source | Supported App |
---|---|---|---|---|
O365 UserLoginFailed | N/A | 'o365:management:activity' |
'o365' |
N/A |
Macros Used
Name | Value |
---|---|
o365_management_activity | sourcetype=o365:management:activity |
o365_high_number_of_failed_authentications_for_user_filter | search * |
o365_high_number_of_failed_authentications_for_user_filter
is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.
Annotations
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 |
Implementation
You must install the Splunk Microsoft Office 365 Add-on and ingest Office 365 management activity events.
Known False Positives
Although unusual, users who have lost their passwords may trigger this detection. Filter as needed.
Associated Analytic Story
Risk Based Analytics (RBA)
Risk Message | Risk Score | Impact | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|
User $user$ failed to authenticate more than 10 times in the span of 5 minutes. | 35 | 50 | 70 |
References
Detection Testing
Test Type | Status | Dataset | Source | Sourcetype |
---|---|---|---|---|
Validation | ✅ Passing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Unit | ✅ Passing | Dataset | o365:management:activity |
o365:management:activity |
Integration | ✅ Passing | Dataset | o365:management:activity |
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: 3