Google Workspace Admin API: User Granted Admin Privileges

Flags Google Workspace audit events where a user is granted delegated or admin privileges in the tenant.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v4

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

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Priv Esc

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
- T1098Account Manipulation
Priv Esc
- T1098Account Manipulation
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule flags Google Workspace admin changes where an account is granted administrative privileges via the Admin API. Such actions can enable privilege escalation and persistent control of the tenant, so timely detection is important. It relies on audit events from admin.googleapis.com indicating either GRANT_ADMIN_PRIVILEGE or GRANT_DELEGATED_ADMIN_PRIVILEGES.

Reporting behind it

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Google Workspace Admin API: User Granted Admin Privileges

Pivot detection · T1098 · 9 related

Changelog

v4
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v3
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v2
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
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.

gcp-google-workspace-admin-role-granted-to-user-2d1b83e4

title: "Google Workspace Admin API: User Granted Admin Privileges"
id: af856ae5-bd3b-45fa-bb68-7d7d13436811
status: test
description: This rule flags Google Workspace admin changes where an account is granted administrative privileges via the Admin API. Such actions can enable privilege escalation and persistent control of the tenant, so timely detection is important. It relies on audit events from admin.googleapis.com indicating either GRANT_ADMIN_PRIVILEGE or GRANT_DELEGATED_ADMIN_PRIVILEGES.
references:
  - https://cloud.google.com/logging/docs/audit/gsuite-audit-logging#3
  - https://developers.google.com/admin-sdk/reports/v1/appendix/activity/admin-user-settings#GRANT_ADMIN_PRIVILEGE
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/cloud/gcp/gworkspace/admin/gcp_gworkspace_user_granted_admin_privileges.yml
author: Austin Songer, Huntrule Team
date: 2021-08-23
modified: 2023-10-11
tags:
  - attack.privilege-escalation
  - attack.persistence
  - attack.t1098
logsource:
  product: gcp
  service: google_workspace.admin
detection:
  selection:
    eventService: admin.googleapis.com
    eventName:
      - GRANT_DELEGATED_ADMIN_PRIVILEGES
      - GRANT_ADMIN_PRIVILEGE
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Google Workspace admin role privileges, may be modified by system administrators.
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 2d1b83e4-17c6-4896-a37b-29140b40a788
    type: derived

Convert

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