Suspicious Entra ID Password Spraying via ROPC Grant to Azure CLI App

ATT&CK techniques

Initial Access → Cred Access

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
- T1078.004Cloud Accounts
Execution
Persistence
- T1078.004Cloud Accounts
Priv Esc
- T1078.004Cloud Accounts
Defense Evasion
- T1078.004Cloud Accounts
Cred Access
- T1110.003Password Spraying
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects Entra ID authentication attempts using the Resource Owner Password Credential (ROPC) flow against the token endpoint while impersonating the well-known Azure CLI first-party application. Reported by Huntress, adversaries abuse ROPC because it submits username and password directly and can bypass interactive MFA prompts, making it a favored vector for password spraying. Detecting non-interactive ROPC grants tied to the Azure CLI app surfaces credential-guessing campaigns before account takeover.

Reporting behind it

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Suspicious Entra ID Password Spraying via ROPC Grant to Azure CLI App

Pivot detection · T1078.004 · 9 related

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

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