M365 Security Compliance Admin Signal

ELASTIC detection rule by Elastic · Elastic License v2

Identifies administrative actions in the Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Center including cmdlet execution, RBAC changes, security insights, and user permission modifications. These events can indicate legitimate administrative activity or potential defense evasion through security control modifications such as DLP policy removal, compliance rule changes, or privilege escalation. This building block rule generates security events for correlation, threat hunting, and telemetry collection.

[metadata]
bypass_bbr_timing = true
creation_date = "2026/02/20"
integration = ["o365"]
maturity = "production"
updated_date = "2026/03/24"

[rule]
author = ["Elastic"]
building_block_type = "default"
description = """
Identifies administrative actions in the Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Center including cmdlet execution, RBAC
changes, security insights, and user permission modifications. These events can indicate legitimate administrative
activity or potential defense evasion through security control modifications such as DLP policy removal, compliance
rule changes, or privilege escalation. This building block rule generates security events for correlation, threat
hunting, and telemetry collection.
"""
from = "now-9m"
index = ["logs-o365.audit-*", "filebeat-*"]
language = "kuery"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "M365 Security Compliance Admin Signal"
references = [
    "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/audit-log-activities",
    "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/office-365-management-api/office-365-management-activity-api-schema#enum-auditlogrecordtype---type-edmint32",
]
risk_score = 21
rule_id = "314557e1-a642-4dbc-af43-321bc04b6618"
setup = """### Additional notes

For information on troubleshooting the maximum alerts warning please refer to this [guide](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/security/current/alerts-ui-monitor.html#troubleshoot-max-alerts).
"""
severity = "low"
tags = [
    "Domain: Cloud",
    "Domain: SaaS",
    "Data Source: Microsoft 365",
    "Data Source: Microsoft 365 Audit Logs",
    "Data Source: Microsoft Purview",
    "Use Case: Threat Detection",
    "Use Case: Configuration Auditing",
    "Tactic: Defense Evasion",
    "Tactic: Persistence",
    "Rule Type: BBR",
]
timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
type = "query"

query = '''
event.dataset:o365.audit and
    event.code:(SecurityComplianceCenterEOPCmdlet or SecurityComplianceInsights or SecurityComplianceRBAC or SecurityComplianceUserChange)
'''


[[rule.threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"

[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1562"
name = "Impair Defenses"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1562/"

[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1562.001"
name = "Disable or Modify Tools"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1562/001/"

[rule.threat.tactic]
id = "TA0005"
name = "Defense Evasion"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"

[[rule.threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"

[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1098"
name = "Account Manipulation"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1098/"

[rule.threat.tactic]
id = "TA0003"
name = "Persistence"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0003/"

[[rule.threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"

[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1059"
name = "Command and Scripting Interpreter"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/"

[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1059.001"
name = "PowerShell"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/001/"

[rule.threat.tactic]
id = "TA0002"
name = "Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/"

[[ currentRule.title && currentRule.title.length > 60 ? currentRule.title.slice(0, 60) + '…' : currentRule.title ]]

ab2c1e3c-7153-4ec5-a4a8-34174386d349

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Executable code, not a declarative rule

This submission is arbitrary [[ currentRule.format ? currentRule.format.toUpperCase() : '' ]] code, not a declarative detection rule — review it as you would any script before running it, and note that it cannot be safely aggregated or auto-executed alongside YARA/Sigma/Suricata/CRS rules.

Rejected pattern present

[[ reason ]]

What does this mean?

Format & documentation suggestions

Not a security issue — this rule is valid and was accepted as-is. These are optional fields/conventions its own format recommends, mainly affecting its quality score and how well it documents itself for other reviewers.

[[ reason ]]

What do these messages mean?

[[ currentRule.title && currentRule.title.length > 60 ? currentRule.title.slice(0, 60) + '…' : currentRule.title ]]

[[ currentRule.title ]]

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