Azure AD Application Administrator Role Assigned

name: Azure AD Application Administrator Role Assigned
id: eac4de87-7a56-4538-a21b-277897af6d8d
version: 13
date: '2026-03-10'
author: Mauricio Velazco, Gowthamaraj Rajendran, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
data_source:
    - Azure Active Directory Add member to role
description: The following analytic identifies the assignment of the Application Administrator role to an Azure AD user. It leverages Azure Active Directory events, specifically monitoring the "Add member to role" operation. This activity is significant because users in this role can manage all aspects of enterprise applications, including credentials, which can be used to impersonate application identities. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could escalate privileges, manage application settings, and potentially access sensitive resources by impersonating application identities, posing a significant security risk to the Azure AD tenant.
search: |-
    `azure_monitor_aad`  operationName="Add member to role"  "properties.targetResources{}.modifiedProperties{}.newValue"="*Application Administrator*"
      | rename properties.* as *
      | rename initiatedBy.user.userPrincipalName as initiatedBy, userAgent as user_agent
      | fillnull
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY dest user src
           vendor_account vendor_product initiatedBy
           user_agent signature
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `azure_ad_application_administrator_role_assigned_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 Active Directory events into your Splunk environment. This analytic was written to be used with the azure:monitor:aad sourcetype leveraging the Auditlog log category
known_false_positives: Administrators may legitimately assign the Application Administrator role to a user. Filter as needed.
references:
    - https://dirkjanm.io/azure-ad-privilege-escalation-application-admin/
    - https://posts.specterops.io/azure-privilege-escalation-via-service-principal-abuse-210ae2be2a5
    - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/roles/concept-understand-roles
    - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1098/003/
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/roles/permissions-reference#application-administrator
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: The privileged Azure AD role Application Administrator was assigned for User $user$ initiated by $initiatedBy$
    risk_objects:
        - field: user
          type: user
          score: 50
    threat_objects: []
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - Azure Active Directory Privilege Escalation
        - Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters
    asset_type: Azure Active Directory
    atomic_guid: []
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1098.003
    product:
        - Splunk Enterprise
        - Splunk Enterprise Security
        - Splunk Cloud
    security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1098.003/azure_ad_assign_privileged_role/azure-audit.log
          source: Azure AD
          sourcetype: azure:monitor:aad