Try in Splunk Security Cloud

Description

The following analytic detects a single source IP failing to authenticate with 30 unique valid users within 5 minutes in Azure Active Directory. It leverages Azure AD SignInLogs with error code 50126, indicating invalid passwords. This behavior is significant as it may indicate a Password Spraying attack, where an adversary attempts to gain initial access or elevate privileges by trying common passwords across many accounts. If confirmed malicious, this activity could lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, or privilege escalation within the Azure AD environment.

  • Type: Anomaly

  • Product: Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Splunk Cloud

  • Last Updated: 2024-05-13
  • Author: Mauricio Velazco, Gowthamaraj Rajendran, Splunk
  • ID: 94481a6a-8f59-4c86-957f-55a71e3612a6

Annotations

ATT&CK

ATT&CK

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
Kill Chain Phase
  • Weaponization
  • Exploitation
NIST
  • DE.AE
CIS20
  • CIS 10
CVE 


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8



 `azure_monitor_aad`  category=SignInLogs properties.status.errorCode=50126 properties.authenticationDetails{}.succeeded=false 
| rename properties.* as * 
| bucket span=5m _time 
| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime dc(user) AS unique_accounts values(user) as user by src_ip 
| where unique_accounts > 30 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `azure_ad_multiple_users_failing_to_authenticate_from_ip_filter`

Macros

The SPL above uses the following Macros:

:information_source: azure_ad_multiple_users_failing_to_authenticate_from_ip_filter is a empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Required fields

List of fields required to use this analytic.

  • _time
  • properties.status.errorCode
  • category
  • properties.authenticationDetails
  • user
  • user_agent

How To Implement

You must install the latest version of Splunk Add-on for Microsoft Cloud Services from Splunkbase (https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/3110/#/details). You must be ingesting Azure Active Directory events into your Splunk environment through an EventHub. This analytic was written to be used with the azure:monitor:aad sourcetype leveraging the Signin log category.

Known False Positives

A source Ip failing to authenticate with multiple users is not a common for legitimate behavior.

Associated Analytic Story

RBA

Risk Score Impact Confidence Message
63.0 70 90 Source Ip $src_ip$ failed to authenticate with 30 users within 5 minutes.

:information_source: The Risk Score is calculated by the following formula: Risk Score = (Impact * Confidence/100). Initial Confidence and Impact is set by the analytic author.

Reference

Test Dataset

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 | version: 3