MFA disabled then sign-in
An account's MFA / 2-step verification was disabled and then that SAME account signed in successfully within the hour - the classic takeover ordering…
What it detects
An account's MFA / 2-step verification was disabled and then that SAME account signed in successfully within the hour - the classic takeover ordering (strip the second factor, then use the stolen password). Ordered correlation across identity providers (Entra / Okta / Google Workspace); the provider-specific disable verb is named in step 1.
MITRE ATT&CK mapping
- T1556Modify Authentication Process· Persistence
False positives and triage
Help-desk MFA resets followed by a legitimate re-enrolment sign-in look similar. Confirm the disable was an authorized admin action tied to a ticket, and that the follow-on sign-in is from a known device / location.
The rule
Declarative YAML read by the detection engine — data, never executed. Confidence 75%. Source: rules/cloud/mfa_disabled_then_signin.yaml, licensed under the Apache License 2.0.
id: cloud.identity.mfa_disabled_then_signin
version: 1.0.0
status: stable
severity: high
confidence: 0.75
platforms: [application]
mitre_techniques: [T1556]
description: |
An account's MFA / 2-step verification was disabled and then that SAME account signed in
successfully within the hour - the classic takeover ordering (strip the second factor,
then use the stolen password). Ordered correlation (ADR-023 Phase B) across identity
providers (Entra / Okta / Google Workspace); the provider-specific disable verb is named
in step 1.
sequence:
within_seconds: 3600
group_by: [user_name]
order: strict
steps:
- id: mfa_disabled
match:
event_action_any:
- user.mfa.factor.deactivate
- user.mfa.factor.reset_all
- 2sv_disable
- Disable Strong Authentication
- id: signin_success
match:
event_category: authentication
event_outcome: success
correlation_keys: [user_name]
false_positive_guidance: |
Help-desk MFA resets followed by a legitimate re-enrolment sign-in look similar. Confirm
the disable was an authorized admin action tied to a ticket, and that the follow-on
sign-in is from a known device / location.
Related detections
Run this rule on your own logs — offline
KIROSEC runs this rule and the rest of the library over Windows, Linux, macOS and cloud audit logs on the analyst's own machine. Every alert links to the events that raised it, and nothing leaves the device.