Scattered Spider
Threat Hunting Guide • 4-6 hours
Social engineering specialists targeting identity providers. Native English speakers impersonating IT staff for credential resets, MFA fatigue attacks, SIM swapping, and Okta/Entra ID compromise. Affiliated with DragonForce ransomware.
Download Full Hunting Guide
Complete guide with 10 hunt modules, identity provider detection queries, social engineering indicators, and IOCs.
10 Hunt Modules
Detection Rules
Copy these queries to detect Scattered Spider activity in your environment.
MFA Fatigue Attack Detection (Okta)
index=okta sourcetype=OktaIM2:log
eventType="user.mfa.okta_verify.deny_push"
| bucket _time span=5m
| stats count by user, _time
| where count > 5
New MFA Device Registration
index=okta sourcetype=OktaIM2:log
eventType="user.mfa.factor.activate"
| stats count by user, displayMessage, client.ipAddress
| lookup known_mfa_devices.csv user OUTPUT expected_device
| where isnull(expected_device)
Unauthorized RMM Tool Installation
index=windows sourcetype=WinEventLog
(ProcessName="*TeamViewer*" OR ProcessName="*AnyDesk*" OR ProcessName="*ScreenConnect*" OR ProcessName="*ngrok*")
| stats count by ComputerName, ProcessName, User
| where NOT match(ComputerName, "IT-*")
Need More Detection Rules?
The full guide includes 20+ additional detection signatures for identity providers and cloud environments.
Disclaimer: These detection rules are provided for defensive security purposes. Always test rules in a non-production environment before deployment. Rules may require tuning for your specific environment. Sources: CISA AA23-320A, Mandiant UNC3944.
Key Attack Techniques
Social Engineering
• SMS phishing (smishing)
• SIM swapping for MFA bypass
• MFA fatigue / push bombing
Identity Provider Targeting
• Entra ID conditional access bypass
• Federated trust manipulation
• New MFA device registration
Persistence & Access
• Email forwarding rules
• Slack/Teams monitoring
• Counter-IR surveillance
Notable Victims
• Caesars ($15M ransom)
• Marks & Spencer (£300M)
• Snowflake customers
Detect Identity-Based Attacks
BRACE monitors for Scattered Spider TTPs including MFA anomalies, identity provider compromise, and social engineering indicators.