Google Workspace login event flagged with gov_attack_warning

Alerts on Google Workspace login audit events marked with gov_attack_warning by Google’s risk signals.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v4

Product: gcp
Service: google_workspace.login
Author: Tom Kluter (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2026-04-28
Updated: 2026-07-31

ATT&CK techniques

Initial Access → Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
- T1078Valid Accounts
Execution
Persistence
- T1078Valid Accounts
Priv Esc
- T1078Valid Accounts
Defense Evasion
- T1078Valid Accounts
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule flags Google Workspace login attempts where the audit event indicates a potential government attack warning. Such signals matter because they highlight suspicious access behavior that may indicate initial access, persistence, or stealth. It relies on GCP audit log telemetry containing the login service name and the specific gov_attack_warning eventName in the event metadata.

Reporting behind it

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Google Workspace login event flagged with gov_attack_warning

Pivot detection · T1078 · 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.

google-workspace-detect-gov-attack-warning-login-events-from-login-googleapis-co-eafe6f2b

title: Google Workspace login event flagged with gov_attack_warning
id: 6059ef63-aaa7-4a65-a6e1-65485bb32886
status: experimental
description: This rule flags Google Workspace login attempts where the audit event indicates a potential government attack warning. Such signals matter because they highlight suspicious access behavior that may indicate initial access, persistence, or stealth. It relies on GCP audit log telemetry containing the login service name and the specific gov_attack_warning eventName in the event metadata.
references:
  - https://cloud.google.com/logging/docs/audit/gsuite-audit-logging
  - https://cloud.google.com/logging/docs/audit/understanding-audit-logs
  - https://developers.google.com/workspace/admin/reports/v1/appendix/activity/login#gov_attack_warning
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/cloud/gcp/gworkspace/login/gcp_gworkspace_govattack.yml
author: Tom Kluter, Huntrule Team
date: 2026-04-28
tags:
  - attack.privilege-escalation
  - attack.persistence
  - attack.initial-access
  - attack.impact
  - attack.stealth
  - attack.t1078
logsource:
  product: gcp
  service: google_workspace.login
detection:
  selection:
    protoPayload.serviceName: login.googleapis.com
    protoPayload.metadata.event.eventName: gov_attack_warning
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Unknown
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: eafe6f2b-cfec-4612-aec2-49563c33a087
    type: derived

Convert

This rule as a query you can run. Uses no unlock credit.

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