Okta Brute Force or Password Spraying Attack

## Triage and analysis

### Investigating Okta Brute Force or Password Spraying Attack

This rule alerts when a high number of failed Okta user authentication attempts occur from a single IP address. This could be indicative of a brute force or password spraying attack, where an adversary may attempt to gain unauthorized access to user accounts by guessing the passwords.

#### Possible investigation steps:

- Review the `source.ip` field to identify the IP address from which the high volume of failed login attempts originated.
- Look into the `event.outcome` field to verify that these are indeed failed authentication attempts.
- Determine the `user.name` or `user.email` related to these failed login attempts. If the attempts are spread across multiple accounts, it might indicate a password spraying attack.
- Check the timeline of the events. Are the failed attempts spread out evenly, or are there burst periods, which might indicate an automated tool?
- Determine the geographical location of the source IP. Is this location consistent with the user's typical login location?
- Analyze any previous successful logins from this IP. Was this IP previously associated with successful logins?

### False positive analysis:

- A single user or automated process that attempts to authenticate using expired or wrong credentials multiple times may trigger a false positive.
- Analyze the behavior of the source IP. If the IP is associated with legitimate users or services, it may be a false positive.

### Response and remediation:

- If you identify unauthorized access attempts, consider blocking the source IP at the firewall level.
- Notify the users who are targeted by the attack. Ask them to change their passwords and ensure they use unique, complex passwords.
- Enhance monitoring on the affected user accounts for any suspicious activity.
- If the attack is persistent, consider implementing CAPTCHA or account lockouts after a certain number of failed login attempts.
- If the attack is persistent, consider implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for the affected user accounts.
- Review and update your security policies based on the findings from the incident.