huntrule

Google Workspace Admin API Client Authorization Granted to Service Accounts

Identifies Google Workspace domain-level authorization of an API client via admin.googleapis.com audit events.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v4
Product
gcp
Service
google_workspace.admin
Author
Austin Songer (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2021-08-23
Updated
2026-07-31
AnalysisDetection

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Priv Esc

  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Defense Evasion

  8. Cred Access

  9. Discovery

  10. Lateral Movement

  11. Collection

  12. C2

  13. Exfiltration

  14. Impact

What it detects

This rule identifies Google Workspace Admin audit events where an API client (service account) is authorized with domain-wide access. Granting domain authority can enable attackers to access user or administrative data through authorized APIs and can be used for persistence. It relies on GCP Google Workspace Admin audit logs capturing events from admin.googleapis.com with eventName AUTHORIZE_API_CLIENT_ACCESS.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1098 — drag to rearrange
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Suspicious Domain Admin Account Creation via net (via process_creation)
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Suspicious Login Shell Assigned to Service Account games on Linux
Suspicious dMSA Object Access with Migration AccessMask
Windows HackTool Execution: GoldenDMSA.exe Launch with Directory Manipulation Parameters
Suspicious Compute Instance Metadata Modification in GCP
Suspicious Azure AD Authentication Method Registration for Account Takeover (via azure)
Suspicious EC2 Instance Connect SSH Public Key Push (via cloudtrail)
Google Workspace Admin API Client Authorization Granted to Service Accounts
Pivot detection · T1098 · 9 related

Changelog

v4
  1. v4
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  2. v3
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  3. v2
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  4. v1
    No changelog recorded for this version.2026-07-30

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.