O365 SharePoint Suspicious Search Behavior
The following analytic identifies when Office 365 users search for suspicious keywords or have an excessive number of queries to a SharePoint site within a limited timeframe. This behavior may indicate that a…
Description
The following analytic identifies when Office 365 users search for suspicious keywords or have an excessive number of queries to a SharePoint site within a limited timeframe. This behavior may indicate that a malicious actor has gained control of a user account and is conducting discovery or enumeration activities.
Detection logic
Detection requirements
- Platform
- ContainersIaaSIdentity ProviderLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesOffice SuiteSaaSWindows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 2 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.
- Log source category
- office_365_universal_audit_log
Known benign triggers
- Users searching excessively or possible false positives related to matching conditions.
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
0 exclusive techniques.This is coverage no other published rule has; it is not this rule's total technique count.
References
| Reference | Cited by |
|---|---|
| attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1213/002/ | Only this detection cites it |
| learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/audit-get-started#step-3-enable-searchqueryinitiated-events | 2 |
| www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa23-320a | 9from 3 sources |
| www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/microsoft-expanded-cloud-logs-implementation-playbook-508c.pdf | 2 |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- 6ca919db-52f3-4c95-a4e9-7b189e8a043d
- Tagged by the source as
- CISA AA22-320ACompromised User AccountOffice 365 Account TakeoverOffice 365 Collection TechniquesO365 TenantcloudSplunk CloudSplunk EnterpriseSplunk Enterprise Securitythreat
Licence
- Published under
- Apache License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
- Obtained under
- Apache-2.0Read the origin licence
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Aug 26, 2026
- Version
- 1