splunk_escuAnomaly

Okta Multiple Failed MFA Requests For User

The following analytic identifies multiple failed multi-factor authentication (MFA) requests for a single user within an Okta tenant. It triggers when more than 10 MFA attempts fail within 5 minutes, using Okta event logs to detect this pattern. This activity is significant as it may indicate an adversary attempting to bypass MFA by bombarding the user with repeated authentication requests, a technique used by threat actors like Lapsus and APT29. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to unauthorized access, potentially compromising sensitive information and systems.

MITRE ATT&CK

T1621

Detection Query

`okta` eventType=user.authentication.auth_via_mfa outcome.result=FAILURE debugContext.debugData.factor!=PASSWORD_AS_FACTOR
  | bucket _time span=5m
  | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(displayMessage) values(src_ip) as src_ip values(debugContext.debugData.factor) values(dest) as dest
    BY _time src_user
  | where count >= 10
  | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
  | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
  | `okta_multiple_failed_mfa_requests_for_user_filter`

Author

Mauricio Velazco, Splunk

Created

2026-03-10

Data Sources

Okta

References

https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1621/

Tags

Okta Account TakeoverScattered Lapsus$ Hunters

Raw Content

name: Okta Multiple Failed MFA Requests For User
id: 826dbaae-a1e6-4c8c-b384-d16898956e73
version: 10
date: '2026-03-10'
author: Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
data_source:
    - Okta
type: Anomaly
status: production
description: The following analytic identifies multiple failed multi-factor authentication (MFA) requests for a single user within an Okta tenant. It triggers when more than 10 MFA attempts fail within 5 minutes, using Okta event logs to detect this pattern. This activity is significant as it may indicate an adversary attempting to bypass MFA by bombarding the user with repeated authentication requests, a technique used by threat actors like Lapsus and APT29. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to unauthorized access, potentially compromising sensitive information and systems.
search: |-
    `okta` eventType=user.authentication.auth_via_mfa outcome.result=FAILURE debugContext.debugData.factor!=PASSWORD_AS_FACTOR
      | bucket _time span=5m
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(displayMessage) values(src_ip) as src_ip values(debugContext.debugData.factor) values(dest) as dest
        BY _time src_user
      | where count >= 10
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `okta_multiple_failed_mfa_requests_for_user_filter`
how_to_implement: The analytic leverages Okta OktaIm2 logs to be ingested using the Splunk Add-on for Okta Identity Cloud (https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/6553).
known_false_positives: Multiple Failed MFA requests may also be a sign of authentication or application issues. Filter as needed and monitor for any unusual activity.
references:
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1621/
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$src_user$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  src_user = "$src_user$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$src_user$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$src_user$") 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: Multiple failed MFA requests for user $src_user$ from IP Address - $src_ip$
    risk_objects:
        - field: src_user
          type: user
          score: 20
    threat_objects:
        - field: src_ip
          type: ip_address
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - Okta Account Takeover
        - Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters
    asset_type: Okta Tenant
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1621
    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/T1621/okta_multiple_failed_mfa_requests/okta_multiple_failed_mfa_requests.log
          source: Okta
          sourcetype: OktaIM2:log