Blog
/
/
February 17, 2021

Compromised 2FA: Preventing Microsoft Account Takeovers

Discover how Darktrace's Microsoft 365 connector detected and investigated a 2FA-compromised Microsoft account takeover. Learn these preventative measures!
Inside the SOC
Darktrace cyber analysts are world-class experts in threat intelligence, threat hunting and incident response, and provide 24/7 SOC support to thousands of Darktrace customers around the globe. Inside the SOC is exclusively authored by these experts, providing analysis of cyber incidents and threat trends, based on real-world experience in the field.
Written by
Max Heinemeyer
Global Field CISO
Default blog imageDefault blog imageDefault blog imageDefault blog imageDefault blog imageDefault blog image
17
Feb 2021

What is Two-factor authentication (2FA)?

2FA is now relied upon by almost a third of businesses. It requires a user to present more than one method of identification when logging into an account. This prevents cyber-criminals from simply using password credentials to hack a system; instead, extra security layers, such as biometrics (inherence), personal information (knowledge), or a code sent to your phone or email (possession), are required to gain access to an account.

What happens when 2FA has been compromised?

Darktrace recently observed this exact scenario when a Microsoft 365 account was hijacked and the attacker temporarily changed the authentication settings so that the SMS codes were sent to their phone. The attack attempted to blend into the user activity and remain undetected. However, Darktrace was able to identify the account compromise from subtle anomalies in the user’s behavior, including suspicious logins, unusual email rule creations, and file deletions.

There has been a sharp increase in these SaaS-based attacks, which comes as no surprise as companies increasingly rely on SaaS platforms to conduct their remote business. Microsoft 365 is now used regularly across organizations for email, user management, file storage and sharing. This phenomenon has widened the attack surface and provides great opportunities for cyber-criminals. SaaS platforms are often siloed, and security teams tend to lack visibility over them and struggle to correlate events across these multiple platforms.

Darktrace Cyber AI protects the entire SaaS environment, providing full coverage over Microsoft 365 and Azure platforms. In this case, the customer was using the Microsoft 365 module. Despite the attack bypassing all other security tools, it was identified by Darktrace’s Microsoft 365 connector and investigated by Cyber AI Analyst – the world’s first AI investigation technology, which automatically triages, interprets, and reports on the full scope of security incidents.

How a Microsoft account was compromised through 2FA

An account belonging to a user on the financial team of a company with around 10,000 Microsoft 365 users was recently compromised. The initial infection most likely happened because the employee had clicked on a malicious link in a phishing email.

Figure 1: A timeline of the attack

Darktrace began detecting suspicious logins into the Microsoft 365 account from unusual locations in the US and Ghana. These logins successfully passed the multi-factor authentication (MFA) security, as the attacker had subtly manipulated the user’s details, modifying the registered phone number so the authentication text message went directly to them.

Figure 2: Darktrace’s dedicated SaaS console surfaces unusual activity across Microsoft 365

2FA can be compromised using several tactics. It may be hacked via a SIM swapping attack or through the use of a malicious OAuth application. An attacker could even resort to a phishing or social-engineering attack, and work in real time to use the one-time password at the same time as the victim enters it on the phishing page.

Following the unusual logins, Darktrace observed that the attacker had changed email rules for the compromised user’s account, as well as several shared inboxes, including one related to credit control.

During this time, the attacker was seen accessing multiple emails in the compromised user’s inbox. The attacker may have been scouring the inbox for sensitive data, or familiarizing themselves with the user’s normal activity and writing style, enabling them to craft believable phishing emails impersonating the account owner. The attacker also deleted multiple emails for that user in an attempt to cover their tracks.

While the rest of the organization’s security stack was blind to this threat, Darktrace’s Microsoft 365 connector detected the anomalous behavior and launched an automated investigation with Cyber AI Analyst. The security team then responded, before the attacker was able to fully exploit some of the critical shared mailboxes.

Had the hacker been able to continue, they would have been able to access intellectual property (IP) and sensitive financial data about the organization and its customers. This could have served as ammunition for future fraudulent payment requests, which have been known to cost organizations tens of thousands of dollars.

Cyber AI Analyst investigates 2FA threat

Trained on hundreds of expert cyber analysts, Cyber AI Analyst conducts autonomous investigations on the full range of threats – including SaaS account compromise. In this case, it stitched together the anomalous login and user behavior and generated a natural language summary of the incident, ready for review. A human analyst would have taken an average of three hours to do this. Yet Cyber AI Analyst did it in a matter of seconds, delivering a 92% time saving.

Figure 3: A demonstration of how Cyber AI Analyst reports on unusual logins and file access

Concluding thoughts

The dynamic workforce is more dispersed than ever, relying on SaaS applications and sprawling IT systems to host valuable data. In this digitally globalized world, cyber security must also be ubiquitous, providing full visibility across the digital environment.

This cyber-attack was targeted and sophisticated. The attack had used compromised credentials so no bruteforce activity was seen prior to the successful logins. Furthermore, the attacker passed the two-factor authentication, as well as covering their tracks through deleted emails and blending into legitimate user activity.

Darktrace AI, however, detected the subtle anomalies in the user’s behavior and thus identified that there was an unwanted presence in the environment. Darktrace is able to cover attacks in cloud and SaaS across the entire attack lifecycle – from an initial spear phishing email to full account takeover – even when other security methods, such as 2FA, have been compromised. In these attacks, early detection and response is key. There could have been significant financial and reputational repercussions had Darktrace not detected the attack.

Thanks to Darktrace analyst Brianna Leddy for her insights on the above threat find.

Inside the SOC
Darktrace cyber analysts are world-class experts in threat intelligence, threat hunting and incident response, and provide 24/7 SOC support to thousands of Darktrace customers around the globe. Inside the SOC is exclusively authored by these experts, providing analysis of cyber incidents and threat trends, based on real-world experience in the field.
Written by
Max Heinemeyer
Global Field CISO

More in this series

No items found.

Blog

/

/

July 23, 2025

Closing the Cloud Forensics and Incident Response Skills Gap

DFIR skills gap, man working on computer, SOC analyst, incident response, cloud incident responseDefault blog imageDefault blog image

Every alert that goes uninvestigated is a calculated risk — and teams are running out of room for error

Security operations today are stretched thin. SOCs face an overwhelming volume of alerts, and the shift to cloud has only made triage more complex.

Our research suggests that 23% of cloud alerts are never investigated, leaving risk on the table.

The rapid migration to cloud resources has security teams playing catch up. While they attempt to apply traditional on-prem tools to the cloud, it’s becoming increasingly clear that they are not fit for purpose. Especially in the context of forensics and incident response, the cloud presents unique complexities that demand cloud-specific solutions.

Organizations are increasingly adopting services from multiple cloud platforms (in fact, recent studies suggest 89% of organizations now operate multi-cloud environments), and container-based and serverless setups have become the norm. Security analysts already have enough on their plates; it’s unrealistic to expect them to be cloud experts too.

Why Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) roles are so hard to fill

Compounding these issues of alert fatigue and cloud complexity, there is a lack of DFIR talent. The cybersecurity skills gap is a well-known problem.

According to the 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, there is a global shortage of 4.8 million cybersecurity workers, up 19% from the previous year.

Why is this such an issue?

  • Highly specialized skill set: DFIR professionals need to have a deep understanding of various operating systems, network protocols, and security architectures, even more so when working in the cloud. They also need to be proficient in using a wide range of forensic tools and techniques. This level of expertise takes a lot of time and effort to develop.
  • Rapid technological changes: The cloud landscape is constantly changing and evolving with new services, monitoring tools, security mechanisms, and threats emerging regularly. Keeping up with these changes and staying current requires continuous learning and adaptation.
  • Lack of formal education and training: There are limited educational programs specifically dedicated for DFIR. Further, an industry for cloud DFIR has yet to be defined. While some universities and institutions offer courses or certifications in digital forensics, they may not cover the full spread of knowledge required in real-world incident response scenarios, especially for cloud-based environments.
  • High-stress nature of the job: DFIR professionals often work under tight deadlines in high-pressure situations, especially when handling security incidents. This can lead to burnout and high turnover rates in the profession.

Bridging the skills gap with usable cloud digital forensics and incident response tools  

To help organizations close the DFIR skills gap, it's critical that we modernize our approaches and implement a new way of doing things in DFIR that's fit for the cloud era. Modern cloud forensics and incident response platforms must prioritize usability in order to up-level security teams. A platform that is easy to use has the power to:

  • Enable more advanced analysts to be more efficient and have the ability to take on more cases
  • Uplevel more novel analysts to perform more advanced tasks than ever before
  • Eliminate cloud complexity– such as the complexities introduced by multi-cloud environments and container-based and serverless setups

What to look for in cloud forensics and incident response solutions

The following features greatly improve the impact of cloud forensics and incident response:

Data enrichment: Automated correlation of collected data with threat intelligence feeds, both external and proprietary, delivers immediate insight into suspicious or malicious activities. Data enrichment expedites investigations, enabling analysts to seamlessly pivot from key events and delve deeper into the raw data.

Single timeline view: A unified perspective across various cloud platforms and data sources is crucial. A single timeline view empowers security teams to seamlessly navigate evidence based on timestamps, events, users, and more, enhancing investigative efficiency. Pulling together a timeline has historically been a very time consuming task when using traditional approaches.

Saved search: Preserving queries during investigations allows analysts to re-execute complex searches or share them with colleagues, increasing efficiency and collaboration.

Faceted search: Facet search options provide analysts with quick insights into core data attributes, facilitating efficient dataset refinement.

Cross-cloud investigations: Analyzing evidence acquired from multiple cloud providers in a single platform is crucial for security teams. A unified view and timeline across cross cloud is critical in streamlining investigations.

How Darktrace can help

Darktrace’s cloud offerings have been bolstered with the acquisition of Cado Security Ltd., which enables security teams to gain immediate access to forensic-level data in multi-cloud, container, serverless, SaaS, and on-premises environments.

Not only does Darktrace offer centralized automation solutions for cloud forensics and investigation, but it also delivers a proactive approach Cloud Detection and Response (CDR). Darktrace / CLOUD is built with advanced AI to make cloud security accessible to all security teams and SOCs. By using multiple machine learning techniques, Darktrace brings unprecedented visibility, threat detection, investigation, and incident response to hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

[related-resource]

Continue reading
About the author

Blog

/

Email

/

July 23, 2025

Global Telecom Provider: Powering and Protecting the World's Data Giants

Default blog imageDefault blog image

This global leader plays a critical role in keeping the world connected. The company works with some of the largest and most influential public and private organizations in the world to enable ultra-fast data transmission.

Safeguarding the systems that keep the world connected

Standing at the forefront of global connectivity, this industry leader designs and manages large-scale communications systems that power the world’s most data-intensive enterprises – including social media giants, hyperscale cloud providers, and major data center operators. Given the scale, confidentiality, and sensitivity of the systems and data it helps transport, the company faces complex cybersecurity challenges.

Protecting sensitive customer data

Most of the organization’s projects are custom-designed and highly proprietary, making data privacy and Intellectual Property (IP) protection critical to maintaining trust and confidentiality with customers. In an industry where every competitor knows the landscape intimately, any loss of data could cause significant damage.

International security implications

The company faces a broad range of advanced cyber threats – from corporate espionage and supply chain risks to cyber-physical attacks on critical infrastructure. Its international footprint adds complexity, including cross-border regulatory compliance. A successful attack could disrupt business, compromise IP, or trigger wider consequences like disruptions to international data transfers and other critical services.

The global leader works closely with communities to anticipate threats that could impact the global communications network at large.

In this environment, cybersecurity is a foundation for international trust,” said the organization’s CISO.

Building a resilient cybersecurity strategy from the ground up

The CISO had the rare opportunity to build the IT and cybersecurity infrastructure from scratch. "Initially, we bought what everyone else buys,” referencing the traditional mix of firewalls, routers, and antivirus tools. “But I knew we needed to do more.”

Self-Learning AI – “the missing piece”

With solid perimeter defenses in place, the security team sought deeper protection inside the network. Darktrace’s Self-Learning AI stood out. “Unlike other solutions, Darktrace’s AI looks beyond known threat signatures, learning what’s normal for our environment and flagging what’s not. That was the missing piece – something that could help us even when everything else failed.”

A solution and partnership that delivered

The CISO said he appreciated the ability to observe Darktrace in action before full deployment, noting that the Darktrace team was there every step of the way, providing guidance and expertise to ensure he got the most out of his investment.

Partnership was especially valuable given the company’s explosive 400% growth over the last six years. As resources were stretched and priorities shifted, “Darktrace remained patient and responsive. We’re slow and methodical, but the Darktrace support team was phenomenal, never losing momentum and earning our trust.”

A unified cybersecurity ecosystem

Today, the global leader is using the Darktrace ActiveAI Security Platform™ as a core part of its layered defense strategy, including:

The CISO appreciates how, as a unified cybersecurity platform, Darktrace has an intuitive user interface, which makes it easier for his team to investigate alerts visually, even without deep technical expertise.

Advancing defenses while impacting the bottom line

A 24/7 “safety net”

The fact that this company has never been hacked is the clearest proof it made the right decision with Darktrace, said the CISO. Initially rolled out in Human Confirmation Mode, meaning it would not take autonomous action without explicit approval from the security team, Darktrace immediately uncovered threats and anomalies that other tools had missed.

Darktrace acts as a must-have safety net—ready to step in when other tools fall short,” said the CISO.

From monitoring internal behavior and identifying unusual attack patterns, to autonomously neutralizing threats after hours, the platform provides peace of mind in a high-stakes industry. “Darktrace is my dark horse – the thing I have in my back pocket if everything else fails. It’s here to save the day, save my company, and maybe even save my career.”

Autonomous capabilities free up time for skilled analysts

Darktrace’s AI-powered detection and response capabilities are deeply embedded in the team’s day-to-day operations, autonomously investigating and responding to the majority of potential threats. Cyber AI Analyst conducted a total of 2,776 total investigations within three months, averaging just 12 minutes to autonomously investigate an incident. Of those 2,776 investigations, Darktrace resolved 2,671 (96%) autonomously and escalated only 105 (4%) to analysts. Darktrace has dramatically reduced alert fatigue and freed up analysts to focus on what really matters, saving the security team 486 analyst hours on investigations within a 20-day period.

From noise to actionable insight

Darktrace delivers meaningful data and meaningful alerts. “If Darktrace escalates an incident, we drop everything and work on that. We trust in Darktrace.” When analysts do need to investigate an incident, Darktrace’s forensic logs and guided remediation suggestions have slashed the time analysts spend on investigations by four to five times.

Stronger security. Lower cost.

The CISO says, “Darktrace is a money-saver for our organization, making continued investments an easy sell to the CEO and the board.”  When he found himself down a resource after a member of the security team left the organization, the CISO turned to Darktrace Managed Threat Detection and Response services for 24/7 expert support. “It was a no brainer. We got better coverage, higher skill levels, and around-the-clock support – all for less than what we would pay to employ a single analyst.”

Scaling securely into the future

Securing networks in motion  

The organization is preparing to scale both its operations and security posture across existing distributed, mobile and deployable communications networks that historically have been disconnected. Some of these networks are in constant motion and operating in some of the world’s most volatile regions. “Darktrace will act as an autonomous defender, monitoring for anomalous behavior and intervening, when necessary, especially during those dangerous times when an asset ‘goes dark’ and becomes disconnected from the broader network,” said the CISO.

Applying AI strategically

As the organization continues to evaluate where and how to apply AI, its emphasis will be on technologies that can act independently to contain threats – especially in environments where human response may be delayed. “It’s about using the right kind of AI for the right challenge. That’s why we’re investing in Darktrace, with tools that can adapt and learn even in isolation and provide real-time protection wherever we operate.”

Continue reading
About the author
The Darktrace Community
Your data. Our AI.
Elevate your network security with Darktrace AI