Adversaries can use stolen session cookies to authenticate to web applications and services. This technique bypasses some multi-factor authentication protocols since the session is already authenticated.(Citation: Pass The Cookie)
Authentication cookies are commonly used in web applications, including cloud-based services, after a user has authenticated to the service so credentials are not passed and re-authentication does not need to occur as frequently. Cookies are often valid for an extended period of time, even if the web application is not actively used. After the cookie is obtained through Steal Web Session Cookie or Web Cookies, the adversary may then import the cookie into a browser they control and is then able to use the site or application as the user for as long as the session cookie is active. Once logged into the site, an adversary can access sensitive information, read email, or perform actions that the victim account has permissions to perform.
There have been examples of malware targeting session cookies to bypass multi-factor authentication systems.(Citation: Unit 42 Mac Crypto Cookies January 2019)
View in MITRE ATT&CK®| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR.PS-01.01 | Configuration baselines | Mitigates | T1550.004 | Web Session Cookie |
Comments
This diagnostic statement provides for securely configuring production systems. This includes hardening default configurations and making security-focused setting adjustments to reduce the attack surface, enforce best practices, and protect sensitive data thereby mitigating adversary exploitation.
References
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| PR.PS-01.02 | Least functionality | Mitigates | T1550.004 | Web Session Cookie |
Comments
This diagnostic statement provides for limiting unnecessary software, services, ports, protocols, etc. Ensuring systems only have installed and enabled what is essential for their operation reduces the attack surface and minimizes vulnerabilities, which mitigates a wide range of techniques.
References
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| PR.PS-01.03 | Configuration deviation | Mitigates | T1550.004 | Web Session Cookie |
Comments
This diagnostic statement provides protection from Web Session Cookie through the implementation of security configuration baselines for OS, software, file integrity monitoring and imaging. Baseline security configuration including the automated deletion of cookies can help protect against adversaries attempting to compromise and modify software and its configurations.
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| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC-23 | Session Authenticity | mitigates | T1550.004 | Web Session Cookie | |
| SC-08 | Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity | mitigates | T1550.004 | Web Session Cookie | |
| SI-07 | Software, Firmware, and Information Integrity | mitigates | T1550.004 | Web Session Cookie |
| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| action.hacking.variety.Use of stolen creds | Use of stolen or default authentication credentials (including credential stuffing) | related-to | T1550.004 | Web Session Cookie | |
| action.hacking.variety.Session replay | Session replay. Child of 'Exploit vuln'. | related-to | T1550.004 | Web Session Cookie | |
| action.hacking.variety.Use of stolen creds | Use of stolen or default authentication credentials (including credential stuffing) | related-to | T1550.004 | Web Session Cookie |
| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEF-IR-E5 | Incident Response | Technique Scores | T1550.004 | Web Session Cookie |
Comments
An incident in Microsoft Defender XDR is a collection of correlated alerts and associated data that make up the story of an attack. Microsoft 365 services and apps create alerts when they detect a suspicious or malicious event or activity. Individual alerts provide valuable clues about a completed or ongoing attack. Attacks typically employ various techniques against different types of entities, such as devices, users, and mailboxes. The result of this is multiple alerts for multiple entities in your tenant. Piecing the individual alerts together to gain insight into an attack can be challenging and time-consuming, Microsoft Defender XDR automatically aggregates the alerts and their associated information into an incident. A typical Incident Response workflow in Microsoft Defender XDR begins with a triage action, next is the investigate action, and finally is the response action.
Microsoft 365 Defender Incident Response responds to web session cookie attacks due to Incident Response monitoring for third-party application logging, messaging, other service artifacts that provide context of user authentication to web applications, and/or anomalous access of websites/cloud-based applications.
License Requirements:
Microsoft Defender XDR
References
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