Detection Strategy for Cloud Service Hijacking via SaaS Abuse

ID: DET0147
Domains: Enterprise
Analytics: AN0417
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 October 2025
Last Modified: 21 October 2025

Analytics

AN0417

Adversary gains access to cloud-hosted services such as AWS SES, SNS, or OpenAI API, enables or modifies usage policies, and initiates resource-intensive actions (e.g., mass email/SMS or LLM queries), often from unauthorized regions or under anomalous identity conditions.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Cloud Service Modification (DC0069) AWS:CloudTrail PutIdentityPolicy
Application Log Content (DC0038) AWS:CloudTrail SendEmail
User Account Metadata (DC0013) AWS:CloudTrail AssumeRole
Mutable Elements
Field Description
TimeWindow Define threshold period over which request spikes are measured. E.g., 10 min or 1 hour windows.
UserContext Alert only if role/user is outside expected automation identity list.
RequestVolumeThreshold Customize the number of emails/SMS or API calls considered anomalous.
GeoVelocityThreshold Tune geolocation jump logic (e.g., login from US, then use service in Asia within minutes).
ModelUsageQuotaSpike Set maximum allowable deviation from past 7-day average OpenAI/GPT token usage.