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Microsoft Graph First Occurrence of Client Request

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Microsoft Graph First Occurrence of Client Request

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This New Terms rule focuses on the first occurrence of a client application ID (azure.graphactivitylogs.properties.app_id) making a request to Microsoft Graph API for a specific tenant ID (azure.tenant_id) and user principal object ID (azure.graphactivitylogs.properties.user_principal_object_id). This rule may helps identify unauthorized access or actions performed by compromised accounts. Advesaries may succesfully compromise a user’s credentials and use the Microsoft Graph API to access resources or perform actions on behalf of the user.

Rule type: new_terms

Rule indices:

  • filebeat-*
  • logs-azure.graphactivitylogs-*

Severity: low

Risk score: 21

Runs every: 5m

Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time)

Maximum alerts per execution: 100

References:

Tags:

  • Domain: Cloud
  • Data Source: Azure
  • Data Source: Microsoft Graph
  • Data Source: Microsoft Graph Activity Logs
  • Resources: Investigation Guide
  • Use Case: Identity and Access Audit
  • Tactic: Initial Access

Version: 1

Rule authors:

  • Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License v2

Investigation guide

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Triage and analysis

Investigating Microsoft Graph First Occurrence of Client Request

This rule detects the first observed occurrence of a Microsoft Graph API request by a specific client application ID (azure.graphactivitylogs.properties.app_id) in combination with a user principal object ID (azure.graphactivitylogs.properties.user_principal_object_id) and tenant ID (azure.tenant_id) within the last 14 days. This may indicate unauthorized access following a successful phishing attempt, token theft, or abuse of OAuth workflows.

Adversaries frequently exploit legitimate Microsoft or third-party application IDs to avoid raising suspicion during initial access. By using pre-consented or trusted apps to interact with Microsoft Graph, attackers can perform actions on behalf of users without triggering conventional authentication alerts or requiring additional user interaction.

Possible investigation steps

  • Review azure.graphactivitylogs.properties.user_principal_object_id and correlate with recent sign-in logs for the associated user.
  • Determine whether azure.graphactivitylogs.properties.app_id is a known and approved application in your environment.
  • Investigate the user_agent.original field for signs of scripted access (e.g., automation tools or libraries).
  • Check the source IP address (source.ip) and geolocation data (source.geo.*) for unfamiliar origins.
  • Inspect azure.graphactivitylogs.properties.scopes to understand the level of access being requested by the app.
  • Examine any follow-up Graph API activity from the same app_id or user_principal_object_id for signs of data access or exfiltration.
  • Correlate with device or session ID fields (azure.graphactivitylogs.properties.c_sid, if present) to detect persistent or repeat activity.

False positive analysis

  • First-time use of a legitimate Microsoft or enterprise-approved application.
  • Developer or automation workflows initiating new Graph API requests.
  • Valid end-user activity following device reconfiguration or new client installation.
  • Maintain an allowlist of expected app_id values and known developer tools.
  • Suppress detections from known good user_agent.original strings or approved source IP ranges.
  • Use device and identity telemetry to distinguish trusted vs. unknown activity sources.
  • Combine with session risk or sign-in anomaly signals where available.

Response and remediation

  • Reach out to the user and verify whether they authorized the application access.
  • Revoke active OAuth tokens and reset credentials if unauthorized use is confirmed.
  • Search for additional Graph API calls made by the same app_id or user_principal_object_id.
  • Investigate whether sensitive resources (mail, files, Teams, contacts) were accessed.
  • Apply Conditional Access policies to limit Graph API access by app type, IP, or device state.
  • Restrict user consent for third-party apps and enforce admin approval workflows.
  • Monitor usage of new or uncommon app_id values across your tenant.
  • Provide user education on OAuth phishing tactics and reporting suspicious prompts.

Rule query

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event.dataset: "azure.graphactivitylogs"
    and event.type: "access"
    and azure.graphactivitylogs.properties.c_idtyp: "user"

Framework: MITRE ATT&CKTM

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