T1556.006sub-technique of T1556 Modify Authentication Process
Multi-Factor Authentication
IaaS · Identity Provider · Linux · macOS · Office Suite · SaaS · Windows1 piece on this siteT1556.006 on attack.mitre.org
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, adversaries may leverage their access to modify or completely disable MFA defenses.
If this is happening now
Checklists and playbooks to open while the alert is still live.
Suspicious execution on an endpoint
An EDR alert, an unexplained process, or a user reporting something odd.
Ransomware, suspected or confirmed
Files renamed or unreadable, a ransom note, or backup deletion commands seen.
Cloud account compromise
Impossible travel, an unrecognised inbox rule, or a reported invoice-fraud attempt.
Detect it
Hunts and rules you can run, each stating what it needs and what else it returns.
Cloud identity and token theft detection pack for Entra ID and Okta
Four Sigma rules for the cloud identity attacks that actually land: illicit consent grants, authentication methods added after a risky sign-in, help-desk MFA resets, and session tokens replayed from a second address.
how MITRE says to see it
Detect MFA Modification or Disabling Across Platforms
- Detects registry and Group Policy modifications that disable or weaken MFA, suspicious PowerShell usage modifying MFA-related attributes, and anomalous login sessions succeeding without expected MFA challenge.
- Detects conditional access policy changes, exclusion of accounts from MFA enforcement, or registration of new MFA factors by non-admin or anomalous users.
- Detects API calls to cloud secrets/MFA configurations where MFA enforcement policies are disabled or bypassed.
- Detects PAM module modifications or removal of MFA hooks in /etc/pam.d/ configurations, correlated with successful authentications lacking MFA prompts.
what reduces it
- M1018 User Account Management. Ensure that proper policies are implemented to dictate the secure enrollment and deactivation of MFA for user accounts.
- M1032 Multi-factor Authentication. Ensure that MFA and MFA policies and requirements are properly implemented for existing and deactivated or dormant accounts and devices. If possible, consider configuring MFA solutions to "fail closed" rather than grant access in case of serious errors.
- M1047 Audit. Review MFA actions alongside authentication logs to ensure that MFA-based logins are functioning as intended. Review user accounts to ensure that all accounts have MFA enabled.