Detection: Azure AD User Consent Denied for OAuth Application

Updated Date: 2026-05-13 ID: bb093c30-d860-4858-a56e-cd0895d5b49c Author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk Type: TTP Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

The following analytic identifies instances where a user has denied consent to an OAuth application seeking permissions within the Azure AD environment. This detection leverages Azure AD's audit logs, specifically focusing on user consent actions with error code 65004. Monitoring denied consent actions is significant as it can indicate users recognizing potentially suspicious or untrusted applications. If confirmed malicious, this activity could suggest attempts by unauthorized applications to gain access, potentially leading to data breaches or unauthorized actions within the environment. Understanding these denials helps refine security policies and enhance user awareness.

Search

 1`azure_monitor_aad` operationName="Sign-in activity" properties.status.errorCode=65004
 2  
 3| rename properties.* as *
 4  
 5| fillnull
 6  
 7| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
 8    BY dest user src
 9       vendor_account vendor_product appDisplayName
10       status.failureReason signature
11  
12| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
13  
14| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
15  
16| `azure_ad_user_consent_denied_for_oauth_application_filter`

Data Source

Name	Platform	Sourcetype	Source
Azure Active Directory Sign-in activity	Azure	`'azure:monitor:aad'`	`'Azure AD'`

Macros Used

Name	Value
azure_monitor_aad	`sourcetype=azure:monitor:aad`
azure_ad_user_consent_denied_for_oauth_application_filter	`search *`

azure_ad_user_consent_denied_for_oauth_application_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
T1528	Steal Application Access Token	Credential Access

Exploitation

DE.CM

CIS 10

APT29

Leviathan

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 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 SignInLogs log category.

Known False Positives

Users may deny consent for legitimate applications by mistake, filter as needed.

Associated Analytic Story

Azure Active Directory Account Takeover

Finding

Title	Entity Field	Entity Type	Risk Score
User $user$ denied consent for an OAuth application.	user	user	50

References

Detection Testing

Test Type	Status	Dataset	Source	Sourcetype
Validation	✅ Passing	N/A	N/A	N/A
Unit	✅ Passing	Dataset	`Azure AD`	`azure:monitor:aad`
Integration	✅ Passing	Dataset	`Azure AD`	`azure:monitor:aad`

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: 14