Azure AD Multiple Service Principals Created by SP

name: Azure AD Multiple Service Principals Created by SP
id: 66cb378f-234d-4fe1-bb4c-e7878ff6b017
version: 13
creation_date: '2024-02-14'
modification_date: '2026-05-13'
author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: The following analytic detects when a single service principal in Azure AD creates more than three unique OAuth applications within a 10-minute span. It leverages Azure AD audit logs, specifically monitoring the 'Add service principal' operation initiated by service principals. This behavior is significant as it may indicate an attacker using a compromised or malicious service principal to rapidly establish multiple service principals, potentially staging an attack. If confirmed malicious, this activity could facilitate network infiltration or expansion, allowing the attacker to gain unauthorized access and persist within the environment.
data_source:
    - Azure Active Directory Add service principal
search: |-
    `azure_monitor_aad` operationName="Add service principal" properties.initiatedBy.app.appId=*
      | rename properties.* as *
      | bucket span=10m _time
      | rename targetResources{}.displayName as displayName
      | rename targetResources{}.type as type
      | rename initiatedBy.app.displayName as src_user
      | rename userAgent as user_agent
      | fillnull
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime dc(displayName) as unique_apps values(displayName) as displayName values(dest) as dest values(src) as src values(user) as user values(user_agent) as user_agent
        BY src_user vendor_account vendor_product
           signature
      | where unique_apps > 3
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `azure_ad_multiple_service_principals_created_by_sp_filter`
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 AuditLogs log category.
known_false_positives: Certain users or applications may create multiple service principals in a short period of time for legitimate purposes. Filter as needed.
references:
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1136/003/
    - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2024/01/25/midnight-blizzard-guidance-for-responders-on-nation-state-attack/
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$src_user$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  src_user = "$src_user$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$src_user$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$src_user$") | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
      earliest_offset: 7d
      latest_offset: "0"
intermediate_findings:
    entities:
        - field: src_user
          type: user
          score: 20
          message: Multiple OAuth applications were created by $src_user$ in a short period of time
analytic_story:
    - Azure Active Directory Persistence
    - NOBELIUM Group
asset_type: Azure Active Directory
mitre_attack_id:
    - T1136.003
product:
    - Splunk Enterprise
    - Splunk Enterprise Security
    - Splunk Cloud
category: cloud
security_domain: identity
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1136.003/azure_ad_multiple_service_principals_created/azure_ad_multiple_service_principals_created.log
          source: Azure AD
          sourcetype: azure:monitor:aad
      test_type: unit