Query: EDR alert: possible Cloud Application Integration (T1671)
Matching passage: T1671 Cloud Application Integration. Tactics: persistence. Description: Adversaries may achieve persistence by leveraging OAuth application integrations in a software-as-a-service environment. Adversaries may create a custom application, add a legitimate application into the environment, or even co-opt an existing integration to achieve malicious ends.(Citation: Push Security SaaS Persistence 2022)(Citation: SaaS Attacks GitHub Evil Twin Integrations) OAuth is an open standard that allows users to authorize applications to access their information on their behalf. In a SaaS environment such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, users may integrate applications to improve their workflow and achieve tasks. Leveraging application integrations may allow adversaries to persist in an environment – for example, by granting consent to an application from a high-privileged adversary-controlled account in order to maintain access to its data, even in the event of losing access to the account.(Citation: Wiz Midnight Blizzard 2024)(Citation: Microsoft Malicious OAuth Applications 2022)(Citation: Huntress Persistence Microsoft 365 Compromise 2024) In some cases, integrations may remain valid even after the original consenting user account is disabled.(Citation: Push Security Slack Persistence 2023) Application integrations may also allow adversaries to bypass multi-factor authentication requirements through the use of [Application Access Token](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1550/001)s. Finally, they may enable persistent [Automated Exfiltration](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1020) over time.(Citation: Synes Cyber Corner Malicious Azure Application 2023) Creating or adding a new application may require the adversary to create a dedicated [Cloud Account](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1136/003) for the application and assign it [Additional Cloud Roles](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1098/003) – for example, in Microsoft 365 environments, an application can only access resources via an associated service principal.(Citation: M
Near-miss passage: T1556.006 Multi-Factor Authentication. Tactics: defense impairment, persistence, credential access. Description: Adversaries may disable or modify multi-factor authentication (MFA) mechanisms to enable persistent access to compromised accounts. Once adversaries have gained access to a network by either compromising an account lacking MFA or by employing an MFA bypass method such as [Multi-Factor Authentication Request Generation](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1621), adversaries may leverage their access to modify or completely disable MFA defenses. This can be accomplished by abusing legitimate features, such as excluding users from Azure AD Conditional Access Policies, registering a new yet vulnerable/adversary-controlled MFA method, or by manually patching MFA programs and configuration files to bypass expected functionality.(Citation: Mandiant APT42)(Citation: Azure AD Conditional Access Exclusions) For example, modifying the Windows hosts file (`C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts`) to redirect MFA calls to localhost instead of an MFA server may cause the MFA process to fail. If a "fail open" policy is in place, any otherwise successful authentication attempt may be granted access without enforcing MFA. (Citation: Russians Exploit Default MFA Protocol - CISA March 2022) Depending on the scope, goals, and privileges of the adversary, MFA defenses may be disabled for individual accounts or for all accounts tied to a larger group, such as all domain accounts in a victim's network environment.(Citation: Russians Exploit Default MFA Protocol - CISA March 2022)