Detection rules › Sigma

Azure Sign-In With Axios User Agent

Status
experimental
Severity
low
Log source
product azure, service signinlogs
Author
Marco Pedrinazzi (@pedrinazziM) (InTheCyber)
Source
github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma

Detects sign-in attempts in Azure/Entra ID logs where the user agent contains "axios", indicating potential use of automated credential harvesting or AiTM phishing infrastructure. Axios is a Node.js HTTP client abused to intercept and replay stolen credentials and MFA tokens. When triaging results, analysts should: - Check the sign-in risk level, MFA status, and conditional access results for signs of bypass. - Look for sign-ins from unusual locations or IPs, especially if the same IP targets multiple accounts. - Prioritize successful sign-ins over failed ones, as they may indicate a completed credential replay or AiTM attack.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

TacticTechniques
Credential AccessT1557 Adversary-in-the-Middle
CollectionT1557 Adversary-in-the-Middle

Rule body yaml

title: Azure Sign-In With Axios User Agent
id: ea1a07f0-3dac-47a2-aeb4-86f5379ba2b4
status: experimental
description: |
    Detects sign-in attempts in Azure/Entra ID logs where the user agent contains "axios",
    indicating potential use of automated credential harvesting or AiTM phishing infrastructure.
    Axios is a Node.js HTTP client abused to intercept and replay stolen credentials and MFA tokens.
    When triaging results, analysts should:
        - Check the sign-in risk level, MFA status, and conditional access results for signs of bypass.
        - Look for sign-ins from unusual locations or IPs, especially if the same IP targets multiple accounts.
        - Prioritize successful sign-ins over failed ones, as they may indicate a completed credential replay or AiTM attack.
references:
    - https://thehackernews.com/2025/09/axios-abuse-and-salty-2fa-kits-fuel.html
    - https://www.proofpoint.com/us/blog/threat-insight/http-client-tools-exploitation-account-takeover-attacks
author: Marco Pedrinazzi (@pedrinazziM) (InTheCyber)
date: 2026-04-28
tags:
    - attack.credential-access
    - attack.collection
    - attack.t1557
    - detection.threat-hunting
logsource:
    product: azure
    service: signinlogs
detection:
    selection:
        userAgent|contains: 'axios'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate internal or third-party applications built with Node.js that use Axios as their HTTP client for authenticating against Azure/Entra ID.
level: low

Stages and Predicates

Stage 0: condition

selection

Stage 1: selection

selection:
    userAgent|contains: 'axios'

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.

FieldKindValues
userAgentmatch
  • axios