O365 Compliance Content Search Exported

name: O365 Compliance Content Search Exported
id: 2ce9f31d-ab4f-4179-b2b7-c77a9652e1d8
version: 10
date: '2026-03-10'
author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
data_source: []
type: TTP
status: production
description: The following analytic identifies when the results of a content search within the Office 365 Security and Compliance Center are exported. It uses the SearchExported operation from the SecurityComplianceCenter workload in the o365_management_activity data source. This activity is significant because exporting search results can involve sensitive or critical organizational data, potentially leading to data exfiltration. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could gain access to and exfiltrate sensitive information, posing a severe risk to the organization's data security and compliance posture.
search: |-
    `o365_management_activity` Workload=SecurityComplianceCenter Operation="SearchExported"
      | rename user_id as user
      | fillnull
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY signature dest user
           src vendor_account vendor_product
           ExchangeLocations Query
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `o365_compliance_content_search_exported_filter`
how_to_implement: You must install the Splunk Microsoft Office 365 Add-on and ingest Office 365 management activity events.
known_false_positives: Compliance content searche exports may be executed for legitimate purposes, filter as needed.
references:
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1114/002/
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/ediscovery-content-search-overview
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/ediscovery-keyword-queries-and-search-conditions
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/ediscovery-search-for-activities-in-the-audit-log
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 compliance content search export was started by $user$
    risk_objects:
        - field: user
          type: user
          score: 50
    threat_objects: []
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - Office 365 Collection Techniques
    asset_type: O365 Tenant
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1114.002
    product:
        - Splunk Enterprise
        - Splunk Enterprise Security
        - Splunk Cloud
    security_domain: identity
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1114.002/o365_compliance_content_search_exported/o365_compliance_content_search_exported.log
          sourcetype: o365:management:activity
          source: o365