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Description

The following analytic detects the activation of an Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) role. It leverages Azure Active Directory events to identify when a user activates a PIM role assignment, indicated by the "Add member to role completed (PIM activation)" operation. Monitoring this activity is crucial as PIM roles grant elevated privileges, and unauthorized activation could indicate an adversary attempting to gain privileged access. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to unauthorized administrative actions, data breaches, or further compromise of the Azure environment.

  • Type: TTP

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

  • Last Updated: 2024-05-25
  • Author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
  • ID: 952e80d0-e343-439b-83f4-808c3e6fbf2e

Annotations

ATT&CK

ATT&CK

ID Technique Tactic
T1098 Account Manipulation Persistence, Privilege Escalation
T1098.003 Additional Cloud Roles Persistence, Privilege Escalation
Kill Chain Phase
  • Installation
  • Exploitation
NIST
  • DE.CM
CIS20
  • CIS 10
CVE 


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 `azure_monitor_aad` operationName="Add member to role completed (PIM activation)" 
| rename properties.* as * 
| rename initiatedBy.user.userPrincipalName as initiatedBy 
| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(user) as user values(targetResources{}.displayName) as displayName by initiatedBy, result, operationName 
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` 
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` 
| `azure_ad_pim_role_assignment_activated_filter`

Macros

The SPL above uses the following Macros:

:information_source: azure_ad_pim_role_assignment_activated_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
  • operationName
  • user
  • initiatedBy.user.userPrincipalName
  • result

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. This analytic was written to be used with the azure:monitor:aad sourcetype leveraging the AuditLog log category.

Known False Positives

As part of legitimate administrative behavior, users may activate PIM roles. Filter as needed

Associated Analytic Story

RBA

Risk Score Impact Confidence Message
35.0 70 50 An Azure AD PIM role assignment was activated by $initiatedBy$ by $user$

: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: 4