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Multi-factor Authentication

Use two or more pieces of evidence to authenticate to a system; such as username and password in addition to a token from a physical smart card or token generator.

ID: M1032
Version: 1.0
Created: 10 June 2019
Last Modified: 21 October 2022
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Enterprise Layer
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Techniques Addressed by Mitigation

Domain ID Name Use
Enterprise T1098 Account Manipulation

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts.
.001 Additional Cloud Credentials

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts. Consider enforcing multi-factor authentication for the CreateKeyPair and ImportKeyPair API calls through IAM policies.[1]
.002 Additional Email Delegate Permissions

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts.
.003 Additional Cloud Roles

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts.
.005 Device Registration

Require multi-factor authentication to register devices in Entra ID.[2] Configure multi-factor authentication systems to disallow enrolling new devices for inactive accounts.[3] When first enrolling MFA, use conditional access policies to restrict device enrollment to trusted locations or devices, and consider using temporary access passes as an initial MFA solution to enroll a device.[4]
.006 Additional Container Cluster Roles

Require multi-factor authentication for user accounts integrated into container clusters through cloud deployments or via authentication protocols such as LDAP or SAML.

Enterprise T1110 Brute Force

Use multi-factor authentication. Where possible, also enable multi-factor authentication on externally facing services.
.001 Password Guessing

Use multi-factor authentication. Where possible, also enable multi-factor authentication on externally facing services.
.002 Password Cracking

Use multi-factor authentication. Where possible, also enable multi-factor authentication on externally facing services.
.003 Password Spraying

Use multi-factor authentication. Where possible, also enable multi-factor authentication on externally facing services.
.004 Credential Stuffing

Use multi-factor authentication. Where possible, also enable multi-factor authentication on externally facing services.
Enterprise T1136 Create Account

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts.
.001 Local Account

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts.
.002 Domain Account

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts.
.003 Cloud Account

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts.
Enterprise T1485 Data Destruction

Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) delete for cloud storage resources, such as AWS S3 buckets, to prevent unauthorized deletion of critical data and infrastructure. MFA delete requires additional authentication steps, making it significantly more difficult for adversaries to destroy data without proper credentials. This additional security layer helps protect against the impact of data destruction in cloud environments by ensuring that only authenticated actions can irreversibly delete storage or machine images.
Enterprise T1530 Data from Cloud Storage

Consider using multi-factor authentication to restrict access to resources and cloud storage APIs.[5]
Enterprise T1213 Data from Information Repositories

Use two or more pieces of evidence to authenticate to a system; such as username and password in addition to a token from a physical smart card or token generator.
.003 Code Repositories

Use multi-factor authentication for logons to code repositories.
Enterprise T1114 Email Collection

Use of multi-factor authentication for public-facing webmail servers is a recommended best practice to minimize the usefulness of usernames and passwords to adversaries.
.002 Remote Email Collection

Use of multi-factor authentication for public-facing webmail servers is a recommended best practice to minimize the usefulness of usernames and passwords to adversaries.
Enterprise T1133 External Remote Services

Use strong two-factor or multi-factor authentication for remote service accounts to mitigate an adversary's ability to leverage stolen credentials, but be aware of Multi-Factor Authentication Interception techniques for some two-factor authentication implementations.
Enterprise T1556 Modify Authentication Process

Integrating multi-factor authentication (MFA) as part of organizational policy can greatly reduce the risk of an adversary gaining control of valid credentials that may be used for additional tactics such as initial access, lateral movement, and collecting information. MFA can also be used to restrict access to cloud resources and APIs.

.001 Domain Controller Authentication

Integrating multi-factor authentication (MFA) as part of organizational policy can greatly reduce the risk of an adversary gaining control of valid credentials that may be used for additional tactics such as initial access, lateral movement, and collecting information. MFA can also be used to restrict access to cloud resources and APIs.

.003 Pluggable Authentication Modules

Integrating multi-factor authentication (MFA) as part of organizational policy can greatly reduce the risk of an adversary gaining control of valid credentials that may be used for additional tactics such as initial access, lateral movement, and collecting information.
.004 Network Device Authentication

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts. Most embedded network devices support TACACS+ and/or RADIUS. Follow vendor prescribed best practices for hardening access control. [6]
.006 Multi-Factor Authentication

Ensure that MFA and MFA policies and requirements are properly implemented for existing and deactivated or dormant accounts and devices. If possible, consider configuring MFA solutions to "fail closed" rather than grant access in case of serious errors.
.007 Hybrid Identity

Integrating multi-factor authentication (MFA) as part of organizational policy can greatly reduce the risk of an adversary gaining control of valid credentials that may be used for additional tactics such as initial access, lateral movement, and collecting information. MFA can also be used to restrict access to cloud resources and APIs.

Enterprise T1601 Modify System Image

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts. Most embedded network devices support TACACS+ and/or RADIUS. Follow vendor prescribed best practices for hardening access control.[6]
.001 Patch System Image

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts. Most embedded network devices support TACACS+ and/or RADIUS. Follow vendor prescribed best practices for hardening access control.[6]
.002 Downgrade System Image

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts. Most embedded network devices support TACACS+ and/or RADIUS. Follow vendor prescribed best practices for hardening access control.[6]
Enterprise T1621 Multi-Factor Authentication Request Generation

Implement more secure 2FA/MFA mechanisms in replacement of simple push or one-click 2FA/MFA options. For example, having users enter a one-time code provided by the login screen into the 2FA/MFA application or utilizing other out-of-band 2FA/MFA mechanisms (such as rotating code-based hardware tokens providing rotating codes that need an accompanying user pin) may be more secure. Furthermore, change default configurations and implement limits upon the maximum number of 2FA/MFA request prompts that can be sent to users in period of time.[7]
Enterprise T1599 Network Boundary Bridging

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts. Most embedded network devices support TACACS+ and/or RADIUS. Follow vendor prescribed best practices for hardening access control.[6]
.001 Network Address Translation Traversal

Use multi-factor authentication for user and privileged accounts. Most embedded network devices support TACACS+ and/or RADIUS. Follow vendor prescribed best practices for hardening access control. [6]
Enterprise T1040 Network Sniffing

Use multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
Enterprise T1021 Remote Services

Use multi-factor authentication on remote service logons where possible.
.001 Remote Desktop Protocol

Use multi-factor authentication for remote logins.[8]
.004 SSH

Require multi-factor authentication for SSH connections wherever possible, such as password protected SSH keys.
.007 Cloud Services

Use multi-factor authentication on cloud services whenever possible.
Enterprise T1072 Software Deployment Tools

Ensure proper system and access isolation for critical network systems through use of multi-factor authentication.
Enterprise T1539 Steal Web Session Cookie

A physical second factor key that uses the target login domain as part of the negotiation protocol will prevent session cookie theft through proxy methods.[9]

Implement Conditional Access policies with Token Protection to bind session tokens to their originating device and user. This reduces the risk of session cookie theft by ensuring that stolen tokens cannot be reused from unauthorized locations or devices.
Enterprise T1199 Trusted Relationship

Require MFA for all delegated administrator accounts.[10]
Enterprise T1078 Valid Accounts

Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all account types, including default, local, domain, and cloud accounts, to prevent unauthorized access, even if credentials are compromised. MFA provides a critical layer of security by requiring multiple forms of verification beyond just a password. This measure significantly reduces the risk of adversaries abusing valid accounts to gain initial access, escalate privileges, maintain persistence, or evade defenses within your network.
.001 Default Accounts

Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for default accounts whenever possible to prevent unauthorized access, even if credentials for these accounts are compromised. MFA adds an additional layer of security that requires more than just a username and password, making it significantly harder for adversaries to exploit these accounts for initial access or lateral movement.
.002 Domain Accounts

Integrating multi-factor authentication (MFA) as part of organizational policy can greatly reduce the risk of an adversary gaining control of valid credentials that may be used for additional tactics such as initial access, lateral movement, and collecting information. MFA can also be used to restrict access to cloud resources and APIs.
.003 Local Accounts

Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for local accounts to add an extra layer of protection against credential theft and misuse. MFA can be implemented using methods like mobile-based authenticators or hardware tokens, even in environments that do not rely on domain controllers or cloud services. This additional security measure can help reduce the risk of adversaries gaining unauthorized access to local systems and resources.
.004 Cloud Accounts

Use multi-factor authentication for cloud accounts, especially privileged accounts. This can be implemented in a variety of forms (e.g. hardware, virtual, SMS), and can also be audited using administrative reporting features.[11]

References

  1. A. Randazzo, B. Manahan and S. Lipton. (2020, April 28). Finding Evil in AWS. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  2. Microsoft 365 Defender Threat Intelligence Team. (2022, January 26). Evolved phishing: Device registration trick adds to phishers’ toolbox for victims without MFA. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  3. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (2022, March 15). Russian State-Sponsored Cyber Actors Gain Network Access by Exploiting Default Multifactor Authentication Protocols and “PrintNightmare” Vulnerability. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  4. Douglas Bienstock. (2022, August 18). You Can’t Audit Me: APT29 Continues Targeting Microsoft 365. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  5. Amazon. (2019, May 17). How can I secure the files in my Amazon S3 bucket?. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  6. Cisco. (n.d.). Cisco IOS Software Integrity Assurance - TACACS. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  1. Jessica Haworth. (2022, February 16). MFA fatigue attacks: Users tricked into allowing device access due to overload of push notifications. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  2. Berkeley Security, University of California. (n.d.). Securing Remote Desktop for System Administrators. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  3. Gretzky, K.. (2018, July 26). Evilginx 2 - Next Generation of Phishing 2FA Tokens. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  4. Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center. (2021, October 25). NOBELIUM targeting delegated administrative privileges to facilitate broader attacks. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  5. Moncur, Rob. (2020, July 5). New Information in the AWS IAM Console Helps You Follow IAM Best Practices. Retrieved August 4, 2020.