Azure Automation Runbook Created

name: Azure Automation Runbook Created
id: 178d696d-6dc6-4ee8-9d25-93fee34eaf5b
version: 12
date: '2026-03-10'
author: Mauricio Velazco, Brian Serocki, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: The following analytic detects the creation of a new Azure Automation Runbook within an Azure tenant. It leverages Azure Audit events, specifically the Azure Activity log category, to identify when a new Runbook is created or updated. This activity is significant because adversaries with privileged access can use Runbooks to maintain persistence, escalate privileges, or execute malicious code. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to unauthorized actions such as creating Global Administrators, executing code on VMs, and compromising the entire Azure environment.
data_source:
    - Azure Audit Create or Update an Azure Automation Runbook
search: |-
    `azure_audit` operationName.value="Microsoft.Automation/automationAccounts/runbooks/write" object!=AzureAutomationTutorial* status.value=Succeeded
      | dedup object
      | rename claims.ipaddr as src, subscriptionId as vendor_account, operationName.value as operationName
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY dest user src
           vendor_account vendor_product object
           object_path
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `azure_automation_runbook_created_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 Audit events into your Splunk environment. Specifically, this analytic leverages the Azure Activity log category.
known_false_positives: Administrators may legitimately create Azure Automation Runbooks. Filter as needed.
references:
    - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/automation/overview
    - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/automation/automation-runbook-types
    - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/automation/manage-runbooks
    - https://www.inversecos.com/2021/12/how-to-detect-malicious-azure.html
    - https://www.netspi.com/blog/technical/cloud-penetration-testing/maintaining-azure-persistence-via-automation-accounts/
    - https://microsoft.github.io/Azure-Threat-Research-Matrix/Persistence/AZT503/AZT503-3/
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1136/003/
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$user$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  user = "$user$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$user$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$user$") starthoursago=168  | 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: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
rba:
    message: A new Azure Automation Runbook $object$ was created by $user$
    risk_objects:
        - field: user
          type: user
          score: 50
    threat_objects: []
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - Azure Active Directory Persistence
    asset_type: Azure Tenant
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1136.003
    product:
        - Splunk Enterprise
        - Splunk Enterprise Security
        - Splunk Cloud
    security_domain: audit
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1078.004/azure_automation_runbook/azure-activity.log
          source: mscs:azure:audit
          sourcetype: mscs:azure:audit