High-Risk Admin Activity

Status: available
Severity: medium
Time window: 1h
Group by: actor_alternateId_s, actor_displayName_s, authenticationContext_externalSessionId_s, client_device_s, client_geographicalContext_city_s, client_geographicalContext_country_s, client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lat_d, client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lon_d, client_ipAddress_s, client_userAgent_browser_s, client_userAgent_os_s, client_userAgent_rawUserAgent_s, debugContext_debugData_threatSuspected_s, displayMessage_s, outcome_reason_s, outcome_result_s
Source: github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel

The Okta risk engine auto-assigns risk levels to each login attempt. This query identifies admin operations originating from events associated with high-risk profiles.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Persistence	`T1098` Account Manipulation

Event coverage

Provider	Event
Okta-group	group.privilege.grant
Okta-iam	iam.role.create
Okta-iam	iam.role.permissions.add
Okta-policy	policy.evaluate_sign_on
Okta-system	system.api_token.create
Okta-user	user.account.privilege.grant
Okta-user	user.mfa.factor.suspend
Okta-user	user.session.access_admin_app
Okta-user	user.session.impersonation.grant
Okta-user	user.session.start

Rules detecting the same action

Other rules on this platform that filter on the same API call or operation.

Administrator Privileges Assigned to an Okta Group (Elastic)
Attempt to Create Okta API Token (Elastic)
Failed Logins from Unknown or Invalid User (Kusto)
First Occurrence of Okta User Session Started via Proxy (Elastic)
Multiple Okta Sessions Detected for a Single User (Elastic)
Multiple Okta User Authentication Events with Same Device Token Hash (Elastic)
New Device/Location sign-in along with critical operation (Kusto)
Okta Admin Access Granted (Panther)

Rule body kusto

id: 9f82a735-ae43-4c03-afb4-d5d153e1ace1
name: High-Risk Admin Activity
description: |
  'The Okta risk engine auto-assigns risk levels to each login attempt. This query identifies admin operations originating from events associated with high-risk profiles.'
severity: Medium
status: Available
requiredDataConnectors:
  - connectorId: OktaSSO
    dataTypes:
      - Okta_CL
  - connectorId: OktaSSOv2
    dataTypes:
      - OktaSSO
queryFrequency: 1h
queryPeriod: 1h
triggerOperator: gt
triggerThreshold: 0
tactics:
  - Persistence
relevantTechniques:
  - T1098
query: |
  let AdminActivity = dynamic(["iam.role.create","iam.role.permissions.add","user.session.access_admin_app","user.mfa.factor.suspend", "user.account.privilege.grant", "group.privilege.grant", "system.api_token.create", "user.session.impersonation.grant"]);
  let AdminOperations = OktaSSO
  | where eventType_s in (AdminActivity)
  | where outcome_result_s =~ 'SUCCESS' 
  | summarize  StartTime = min(TimeGenerated), EndTime = max(TimeGenerated) by  actor_alternateId_s, actor_displayName_s, client_userAgent_os_s, client_userAgent_browser_s, client_device_s, client_userAgent_rawUserAgent_s, client_ipAddress_s, client_geographicalContext_country_s, client_geographicalContext_city_s, displayMessage_s, outcome_result_s, outcome_reason_s, column_ifexists('debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s', ""), debugContext_debugData_threatSuspected_s, client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lat_d, client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lon_d, authenticationContext_externalSessionId_s;
  let HighRiskEvents = OktaSSO
  | where eventType_s in ('policy.evaluate_sign_on' , 'user.session.start')
  | extend debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s = column_ifexists('debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s', '{}')
  | where parse_json(tostring(parse_json(debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s).risk)).level =~ "HIGH"
  | where outcome_result_s =~ 'SUCCESS'
  | extend reasons = tostring(parse_json(tostring(parse_json(debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s).risk)).reasons)
  | summarize  StartTime = min(TimeGenerated), EndTime = max(TimeGenerated) by  actor_alternateId_s, actor_displayName_s, client_userAgent_os_s, client_userAgent_browser_s, client_device_s, client_userAgent_rawUserAgent_s, client_ipAddress_s, client_geographicalContext_country_s, client_geographicalContext_city_s, displayMessage_s, outcome_result_s, outcome_reason_s, column_ifexists('debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s', ""), debugContext_debugData_threatSuspected_s, client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lat_d, client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lon_d, authenticationContext_externalSessionId_s, reasons;
  AdminOperations
  | join kind=inner (HighRiskEvents) on actor_displayName_s, client_ipAddress_s, authenticationContext_externalSessionId_s
entityMappings:
  - entityType: Account
    fieldMappings:
      - identifier: Name
        columnName: actor_alternateId_s
      - identifier: DisplayName
        columnName: actor_displayName_s
  - entityType: IP
    fieldMappings:
      - identifier: Address
        columnName: client_ipAddress_s
customDetails:
  SessionId: authenticationContext_externalSessionId_s
version: 1.1.1
kind: Scheduled

Stages and Predicates

Let binding: `AdminActivity`

let AdminActivity = dynamic(["iam.role.create","iam.role.permissions.add","user.session.access_admin_app","user.mfa.factor.suspend", "user.account.privilege.grant", "group.privilege.grant", "system.api_token.create", "user.session.impersonation.grant"]);

Let binding: `HighRiskEvents`

let HighRiskEvents = OktaSSO
| where eventType_s in ('policy.evaluate_sign_on' , 'user.session.start')
| extend debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s = column_ifexists('debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s', '{}')
| where parse_json(tostring(parse_json(debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s).risk)).level =~ "HIGH"
| where outcome_result_s =~ 'SUCCESS'
| extend reasons = tostring(parse_json(tostring(parse_json(debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s).risk)).reasons)
| summarize  StartTime = min(TimeGenerated), EndTime = max(TimeGenerated) by  actor_alternateId_s, actor_displayName_s, client_userAgent_os_s, client_userAgent_browser_s, client_device_s, client_userAgent_rawUserAgent_s, client_ipAddress_s, client_geographicalContext_country_s, client_geographicalContext_city_s, displayMessage_s, outcome_result_s, outcome_reason_s, column_ifexists('debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s', ""), debugContext_debugData_threatSuspected_s, client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lat_d, client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lon_d, authenticationContext_externalSessionId_s, reasons;

The stages below define let AdminOperations (the rule's main pipeline source).

Stage 1: `source`

OktaSSO

Stage 2: `where`

| where eventType_s in (AdminActivity)

References AdminActivity (defined above).

Stage 3: `where`

| where outcome_result_s =~ 'SUCCESS'

Stage 4: `summarize`

| summarize  StartTime = min(TimeGenerated), EndTime = max(TimeGenerated) by  actor_alternateId_s, actor_displayName_s, client_userAgent_os_s, client_userAgent_browser_s, client_device_s, client_userAgent_rawUserAgent_s, client_ipAddress_s, client_geographicalContext_country_s, client_geographicalContext_city_s, displayMessage_s, outcome_result_s, outcome_reason_s, column_ifexists('debugContext_debugData_logOnlySecurityData_s', ""), debugContext_debugData_threatSuspected_s, client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lat_d, client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lon_d, authenticationContext_externalSessionId_s

The stages below run on AdminOperations (the outer pipeline).

Stage 5: `join`

AdminOperations
| join kind=inner (HighRiskEvents) on actor_displayName_s, client_ipAddress_s, authenticationContext_externalSessionId_s

Indicators

Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.

Field	Kind	Values
`eventType_s`	in	`group.privilege.grant` transforms: `cased` `iam.role.create` transforms: `cased` `iam.role.permissions.add` transforms: `cased` `policy.evaluate_sign_on` transforms: `cased` `system.api_token.create` transforms: `cased` `user.account.privilege.grant` transforms: `cased` `user.mfa.factor.suspend` transforms: `cased` `user.session.access_admin_app` transforms: `cased` `user.session.impersonation.grant` transforms: `cased` `user.session.start` transforms: `cased`
`level`	eq	`HIGH`
`outcome_result_s`	eq	`SUCCESS`

Output fields

Fields the rule emits when it matches. Chronicle authors list these in the outcome block; they appear on the detection and $risk_score drives alerting. Sentinel / Defender XDR rules build them up through project / summarize / extend stages. Sentinel maps these into alert fields via entityMappings and customDetails; Defender XDR custom detections surface them as alert fields directly.

Field	Source
`EndTime`	`summarize`
`StartTime`	`summarize`
`actor_alternateId_s`	`summarize`
`actor_displayName_s`	`summarize`
`authenticationContext_externalSessionId_s`	`summarize`
`client_device_s`	`summarize`
`client_geographicalContext_city_s`	`summarize`
`client_geographicalContext_country_s`	`summarize`
`client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lat_d`	`summarize`
`client_geographicalContext_geolocation_lon_d`	`summarize`
`client_ipAddress_s`	`summarize`
`client_userAgent_browser_s`	`summarize`
`client_userAgent_os_s`	`summarize`
`client_userAgent_rawUserAgent_s`	`summarize`
`debugContext_debugData_threatSuspected_s`	`summarize`
`displayMessage_s`	`summarize`
`outcome_reason_s`	`summarize`
`outcome_result_s`	`summarize`

`j` / `k`	Scroll down / up
`d` / `u`	Half-page down / up
`gg` / `G`	Top / bottom
`h` / `l`	History back / forward
`f`	Follow link (`Shift` = new tab)
`/`	Focus search
`?`	Toggle this help
`↑` / `↓`	Navigate search results
`Enter`	Open highlighted result
`Esc`	Close results / dialog

`type:`	`events` / `rules` / `providers`
`vendor:`	`sigma` / `elastic` / `splunk` / `kusto` / `chronicle` (vendor name alone also works: `sigma:`, `kql:`, `secops:`…)
`tactic:`	TA-id, slug, or name: `credential_access`, `TA0006`
`technique:`	technique or sub-technique ID: `T1003`, `T1003.001` (alias `tech:`)
`severity:`	`critical` / `high` / `medium` / `low` / `informational` (alias `sev:`)
`risk_score`	Numeric comparison on the Elastic risk score (0 to 100): `risk_score>50`, `risk_score<=20`, `risk_score=99` (alias `risk`; Elastic rules only)
`stages:`	Rules with exactly N pipeline stages
`correlation:`	`single_event` / `sequence` / `alternatives` / `alternatives_cross_log` / `all_required` / `correlated`
`with:`	Co-occurrence event-id; stacks (`with:4624 with:4769`) to require all, while a comma list in one occurrence (`with:4624,4769`) is an either-or group. Implies multi-event
`like:`	Structural neighbors of a rule slug (equivalents + subsumption stricter / broader): `like:comsvcs_lsass_memory_dump-splunk-sysmon`
`groupby:`	Entity-grouping substring match against `group_by_keys`: `groupby:user`, `groupby:host`
`uses:`	Rules whose predicate tree touches the field (any kind, any value): `uses:CommandLine`
`excludes:`	Rules with top-level `not()` clauses on the field (FP whitelists): `excludes:ParentImage`
`field:` / `value:`	Predicate search; narrows rule cards to those with a matching leaf and drives the indicator tier. Unquoted = substring, wildcards allowed (`value:mimikatz`)
`indicator:`	Shorthand for `field:F value:V`: `indicator:Image=*\powershell.exe`
`kind:`	Filter by predicate kind. Narrows rule cards to those carrying a matching predicate leaf (`vendor:elastic kind:cidr_match`) and drives the indicator tier: `contains` / `starts_with` / `ends_with` / `regex` / `cidr` / `eq` / `in` … (operator aliases `op:`/`match:`)
`has:` / `no:`	`sample`, `field`, `notes`, `refs`, `trace`, `thirdparty`, `rule`, `pattern`, `timewindow`, `threshold`, `newterms`, `sigma`/`elastic`/`splunk`/`kusto`/`chronicle`
`-op:val`	Exclude matches; works on most operators but not `type:`/`like:`/`has:`/`no:` (use `no:<flag>` to exclude a rule flag): `tactic:execution -vendor:splunk`. Standalone `-kind:`/`-field:`/`-value:` drop every rule carrying a matching predicate leaf (`type:rules -kind:is_null`)
`field:"…"` / `value:"…"`	Quoted value = anchored exact match (also allows spaces): `value:"net user"`
`a,b`	Comma = OR inside one operator (`vendor:sigma,elastic`, `severity:high,critical`); repeating a facet merges the same way. `field:`/`value:` never split (literal commas)
`vendors:` / `stage:`	Singular and plural spellings fold to the canonical operator and value: `tactics:` = `tactic:`, `type:event` = `type:events`, `correlation:sequences` = `correlation:sequence`, `has:thresholds` = `has:threshold`
`"quoted phrase"`	Exact-match a multi-word phrase (free text)

High-Risk Admin Activity

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Event coverage

Rules detecting the same action

Rule body kusto

Stages and Predicates

Let binding: `AdminActivity`

Let binding: `HighRiskEvents`

Stage 1: `source`

Stage 2: `where`

Stage 3: `where`

Stage 4: `summarize`

Stage 5: `join`

Indicators

Output fields

Keyboard shortcuts

Search operators

High-Risk Admin Activity

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Event coverage

Rules detecting the same action

Rule body kusto

Stages and Predicates

Let binding: AdminActivity

Let binding: HighRiskEvents

Stage 1: source

Stage 2: where

Stage 3: where

Stage 4: summarize

Stage 5: join

Indicators

Output fields

Let binding: `AdminActivity`

Let binding: `HighRiskEvents`

Stage 1: `source`

Stage 2: `where`

Stage 3: `where`

Stage 4: `summarize`

Stage 5: `join`