
Detecting Anomalous Authentication Patterns
FreeIdentify compromised accounts with advanced anomaly detection.
Free · Opens the source repo
What Detecting Anomalous Authentication Patterns does
This skill is designed for security operations teams seeking to enhance their authentication monitoring capabilities. By utilizing User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), it analyzes authentication logs to detect various attack patterns such as impossible travel, credential stuffing, brute force attacks, and password spraying. The skill employs statistical baselines and machine learning models to identify deviations from normal user behavior, making it a powerful tool for detecting compromised accounts and preventing unauthorized access.
The workflow begins by collecting and normalizing authentication logs from various sources, including Azure AD, Okta, and Windows Active Directory. This normalization process ensures that the logs are structured uniformly, which is crucial for effective analysis. Once the logs are aggregated, the skill can identify impossible travel scenarios where a user logs in from geographically distant locations within an implausible timeframe. Additionally, it can flag suspicious login attempts that exhibit characteristics of brute force or credential stuffing attacks.
This skill is particularly useful for organizations that need to proactively monitor their authentication processes and respond to potential threats in real-time. It requires a SIEM platform with a sufficient data retention period to establish accurate behavioral baselines, ensuring that false positives are minimized. By correlating authentication anomalies with threat intelligence, security teams can also gain insights into potential lateral movement within their networks.
However, it is important to note that this skill is not suitable for static rule-based alerting systems that only focus on single failed logins. Instead, it is designed for environments that require a dynamic approach to anomaly detection, leveraging statistical analysis across time and user entities to effectively identify and mitigate security risks.
When to use it
Use this skill when you need to analyze authentication logs for signs of compromise, such as impossible travel or brute force attacks, and when you have access to a SIEM platform with baseline data.
When not to use it
Avoid using this skill for simple failed login alerts, as it requires a comprehensive analysis of user behavior over time to be effective.
What you can build with it
Investigating Suspicious Sign-Ins
Use this skill to analyze authentication logs when alerts from SIEM or IdP indicate suspicious sign-in activities.
Real-Time Attack Detection
Implement this skill to detect and respond to brute force or credential stuffing attacks as they occur.
Impossible Travel Detection
Utilize this skill to flag logins from geographically inconsistent locations, indicating potential account compromise.
How to install Detecting Anomalous Authentication Patterns
View source1. Install with the skills CLI
npx skills add mukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills/detecting-anomalous-authentication-patterns --agent claude-code2. Or install it manually
Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.
Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs
Inside SKILL.md
Written by mukul975Detecting Anomalous Authentication Patterns
When to Use
- Security operations needs to identify compromised accounts from authentication log analysis
- Implementing impossible travel detection to flag geographically inconsistent logins
- Detecting brute force, password spraying, and credential stuffing attacks in real time
- Building behavioral baselines for users to identify deviations indicating account compromise
- Correlating authentication anomalies with threat intelligence for lateral movement detection
- Investigating alerts from SIEM or IdP for suspicious sign-in activity
Do not use for static rule-based alerting on single failed logins; anomaly detection requires statistical baselines across time and entity dimensions to reduce false positives.
Prerequisites
- Authentication log sources (Azure AD/Entra ID sign-in logs, Okta system logs, Active Directory event logs 4624/4625/4648/4768/4771)
- SIEM platform (Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Elastic SIEM) with at least 90 days of baseline data
- GeoIP database for location-based anomaly detection (MaxMind GeoLite2 or IP2Location)
- Python 3.9+ with pandas, scikit-learn, and scipy for custom analytics
- User identity context (department, role, typical work hours, location)
Workflow
Step 1: Collect and Normalize Authentication Logs
Aggregate authentication events from all identity sources:
import pandas as pd
import json
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
from collections import defaultdict
# Parse authentication logs from multiple sources
def normalize_auth_logs(log_source, raw_logs):
"""Normalize authentication events to a common schema."""
normalized = []
for event in raw_logs:
if log_source == "azure_ad":
normalized.append({
"timestamp": event["createdDateTime"],
"user": event["userPrincipalName"],
"source_ip": event["ipAddress"],
"location": {
"city": event.get("location", {}).get("city"),
"state": event.get("location", {}).get("state"),
"country": event.get("location", {}).get("countryOrRegion"),
"lat": event.get("location", {}).get("geoCoordinates", {}).get("latitude"),
"lon": event.get("location", {}).get("geoCoordinates", {}).get("longitude")
},
"result": "success" if event["status"]["errorCode"] == 0 else "failure",
"failure_reason": event["status"].get("failureReason", ""),
"app": event.get("appDisplayName", "Unknown"),
"device": event.get("deviceDetail", {}).get("operatingSystem", "Unknown"),
"browser": event.get("deviceDetail", {}).get("browser", "Unknown"),
"mfa_result": event.get("authenticationDetails", [{}])[0].get("succeeded", None),
"risk_level": event.get("riskLevelDuringSignIn", "none"),
"client_app": event.get("clientAppUsed", "Unknown"),
"source": "azure_ad"
})
elif log_source == "okta":
normalized.append({
"timestamp": event["published"],
"user": event["actor"]["alternateId"],
"source_ip": event["client"]["ipAddress"],
"location": {
"city": event["client"].get("geographicalContext", {}).get("city"),
"state": event["client"].get("geographicalContext", {}).get("state"),
"country": event["client"].get("geographicalContext", {}).get("country"),
"lat": event["client"].get("geographicalContext", {}).get("geolocation", {}).get("lat"),
"lon": event["client"].get("geographicalContext", {}).get("geolocation", {}).get("lon")
},
"result": "success" if event["outcome"]["result"] == "SUCCESS" else "failure",
"failure_reason": event["outcome"].get("reason", ""),
"app": event.get("target", [{}])[0].get("displayName", "Unknown"),
"device": event["client"].get("device", "Unknown"),
"browser": event["client"].get("userAgent", {}).get("browser", "Unknown"),
"source": "okta"
})
elif log_source == "windows_ad":
normalized.append({
"timestamp": event["TimeCreated"],
"user": event["TargetUserName"],
"source_ip": event.get("IpAddress", ""),
"location": None, # Requires GeoIP enrichment
"result": "success" if event["EventId"] in [4624, 4648] else "failure",
"failure_reason": event.get("FailureReason", ""),
"logon_type": event.get("LogonType", ""),
"source": "windows_ad"
})
return pd.DataFrame(normalized)
# Enrich with GeoIP data for Windows AD logs missing location
import geoip2.database
def enrich_geoip(df, geoip_db_path="/opt/geoip/GeoLite2-City.mmdb"):
"""Add geolocation data to events missing location information."""
reader = geoip2.database.Reader(geoip_db_path)
for idx, row in df.iterrows():
if row["location"] is None and row["source_ip"]:
try:
response = reader.city(row["source_ip"])
df.at[idx, "location"] = {
"city": response.city.name,
"country": response.country.iso_code,
"lat": response.location.latitude,
"lon": response.location.longitude
}
except Exception:
pass
reader.close()
return df
Step 2: Detect Impossible Travel Anomalies
Identify logins from geographically impossible locations:
from math import radians, sin, cos, sqrt, atan2
from datetime import datetime
def haversine_distance(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2):
"""Calculate great-circle distance between two points in km."""
R = 6371 # Earth's radius in kilometers
lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2 = map(radians, [lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2])
dlat = lat2 - lat1
dlon = lon2 - lon1
a = sin(dlat/2)**2 + cos(lat1) * cos(lat2) * sin(dlon/2)**2
c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1-a))
return R * c
def detect_impossible_travel(df, max_speed_kmh=900):
"""
Detect impossible travel events where a user authenticates from
two locations faster than physically possible.
max_speed_kmh: Maximum realistic travel speed (900 km/h ~= commercial flight)
"""
alerts = []
# Sort by user and timestamp
df_sorted = df.sort_values(["user", "timestamp"])
for user, user_events in df_sorted.groupby("user"):
successful_events = user_events[user_events["result"] == "success"]
for i in range(1, len(successful_events)):
prev = successful_events.iloc[i-1]
curr = successful_events.iloc[i]
# Skip if location data is missing
if not prev.get("location") or not curr.get("location"):
continue
if not prev["location"].get("lat") or not curr["location"].get("lat"):
continue
# Calculate distance and time delta
distance_km = haversine_distance(
prev["location"]["lat"], prev["location"]["lon"],
curr["location"]["lat"], curr["location"]["lon"]
)
time_diff = (pd.Timestamp(curr["timestamp"]) -
pd.Timestamp(prev["timestamp"])).total_seconds() / 3600
if time_diff <= 0:
continue
required_speed = distance_km / time_diff
# Flag if required speed exceeds maximum realistic travel
if required_speed > max_speed_kmh and distance_km > 100:
alerts.append({
"alert_type": "IMPOSSIBLE_TRAVEL",
"severity": "HIGH",
"user": user,
"timestamp": curr["timestamp"],
"details": {
"location_1": f"{prev['location']['city']}, {prev['location']['country']}",
"location_2": f"{curr['location']['city']}, {curr['location']['country']}",
"time_1": prev["timestamp"],
"time_2": curr["timestamp"],
"distance_km": round(distance_km, 1),
"time_hours": round(time_diff, 2),
"required_speed_kmh": round(required_speed, 1),
"source_ip_1": prev["source_ip"],
"source_ip_2": curr["source_ip"]
}
})
return alerts
# Run impossible travel detection
travel_alerts = detect_impossible_travel(auth_df)
print(f"Impossible travel alerts: {len(travel_alerts)}")
for alert in travel_alerts:
print(f" [{alert['severity']}] {alert['user']}: "
f"{alert['details']['location_1']} -> {alert['details']['location_2']} "
f"({alert['details']['distance_km']} km in {alert['details']['time_hours']}h)")
Step 3: Detect Brute Force and Password Spraying
Identify credential attack patterns across authentication logs:
from collections import Counter
def detect_brute_force(df, threshold_failures=10, window_minutes=10):
"""
Detect brute force attacks: many failed attempts against
a single account in a short time window.
"""
alerts = []
failed = df[df["result"] == "failure"].copy()
failed["timestamp"] = pd.to_datetime(failed["timestamp"])
for user, user_fails in failed.groupby("user"):
user_fails_sorted = user_fails.sort_values("timestamp")
# Sliding window analysis
for i, row in user_fails_sorted.iterrows():
window_start = row["timestamp"]
window_end = window_start + timedelta(minutes=window_minutes)
window_events = user_fails_sorted[
(user_fails_sorted["timestamp"] >= window_start) &
(user_fails_sorted["timestamp"] <= window_end)
]
if len(window_events) >= threshold_failures:
source_ips = window_events["source_ip"].unique()
alerts.append({
"alert_type": "BRUTE_FORCE",
"severity": "HIGH",
"user": user,
"timestamp": str(window_start),
"details": {
"failed_attempts": len(window_events),
"window_minutes": window_minutes,
"source_ips": list(source_ips),
"distributed": len(source_ips) > 1,
"failure_reasons": dict(Counter(window_events["failure_reason"]))
}
})
break # One alert per user per detection pass
return alerts
def detect_password_spray(df, threshold_users=10, window_minutes=30):
"""
Detect password spraying: failed logins against many different
accounts from the same source in a short window (1-2 attempts per user).
"""
alerts = []
failed = df[df["result"] == "failure"].copy()
failed["timestamp"] = pd.to_datetime(failed["timestamp"])
for source_ip, ip_events in failed.groupby("source_ip"):
ip_events_sorted = ip_events.sort_values("timestamp")
for i, row in ip_events_sorted.iterrows():
window_start = row["timestamp"]
window_end = window_start + timedelta(minutes=window_minutes)
window_events = ip_events_sorted[
(ip_events_sorted["timestamp"] >= window_start) &
(ip_events_sorted["timestamp"] <= window_end)
]
unique_users = window_events["user"].nunique()
attempts_per_user = len(window_events) / unique_users if unique_users > 0 else 0
# Password spray: many users targeted, few attempts per user
if unique_users >= threshold_users and attempts_per_user <= 3:
# Check if any succeeded (compromised account)
success_after = df[
(df["source_ip"] == source_ip) &
(df["result"] == "success") &
(pd.to_datetime(df["timestamp"]) > window_start) &
(pd.to_datetime(df["timestamp"]) < window_end + timedelta(hours=1))
]
alerts.append({
"alert_type": "PASSWORD_SPRAY",
"severity": "CRITICAL" if len(success_after) > 0 else "HIGH",
"timestamp": str(window_start),
"details": {
"source_ip": source_ip,
"targeted_users": unique_users,
"total_attempts": len(window_events),
"avg_attempts_per_user": round(attempts_per_user, 1),
"window_minutes": window_minutes,
"successful_logins_after": len(success_after),
"compromised_accounts": list(success_after["user"].unique()) if len(success_after) > 0 else []
}
})
break
return alerts
# Run detections
brute_force_alerts = detect_brute_force(auth_df)
spray_alerts = detect_password_spray(auth_df)
print(f"Brute force alerts: {len(brute_force_alerts)}")
print(f"Password spray alerts: {len(spray_alerts)}")
Step 4: Build Behavioral Baselines and Detect Deviations
Create user behavioral profiles and flag statistical anomalies:
import numpy as np
from scipy import stats
from sklearn.ensemble import IsolationForest
def build_user_baseline(df, user, lookback_days=90):
"""Build behavioral baseline for a specific user."""
user_events = df[df["user"] == user].copy()
user_events["timestamp"] = pd.to_datetime(user_events["timestamp"])
user_events["hour"] = user_events["timestamp"].dt.hour
user_events["day_of_week"] = user_events["timestamp"].dt.dayofweek
baseline = {
"user": user,
"typical_hours": {
"start": int(user_events["hour"].quantile(0.05)),
"end": int(user_events["hour"].quantile(0.95)),
"mean": float(user_events["hour"].mean()),
"std": float(user_events["hour"].std())
},
"typical_days": list(user_events["day_of_week"].mode().values),
"typical_ips": list(user_events["source_ip"].value_counts().head(10).index),
"typical_locations": list(
user_events["location"].apply(
lambda x: x.get("country") if isinstance(x, dict) else None
).dropna().value_counts().head(5).index
),
"typical_apps": list(user_events["app"].value_counts().head(10).index),
"typical_devices": list(user_events["device"].value_counts().head(5).index),
"avg_daily_logins": float(
user_events.groupby(user_events["timestamp"].dt.date).size().mean()
),
"std_daily_logins": float(
user_events.groupby(user_events["timestamp"].dt.date).size().std()
),
"failure_rate": float(
(user_events["result"] == "failure").mean()
)
}
return baseline
def detect_behavioral_anomalies(event, baseline):
"""Compare a new authentication event against user baseline."""
anomalies = []
event_time = pd.Timestamp(event["timestamp"])
# Off-hours login detection
hour = event_time.hour
if baseline["typical_hours"]["std"] > 0:
z_score = abs(hour - baseline["typical_hours"]["mean"]) / baseline["typical_hours"]["std"]
if z_score > 2.5:
anomalies.append({
"type": "OFF_HOURS_LOGIN",
"severity": "MEDIUM",
"detail": f"Login at {hour}:00 (baseline: {baseline['typical_hours']['start']}:00-{baseline['typical_hours']['end']}:00)",
"z_score": round(z_score, 2)
})
# New source IP
if event["source_ip"] not in baseline["typical_ips"]:
anomalies.append({
"type": "NEW_SOURCE_IP",
"severity": "MEDIUM",
"detail": f"Login from unknown IP: {event['source_ip']}"
})
# New country
if event.get("location") and isinstance(event["location"], dict):
country = event["location"].get("country")
if country and country not in baseline["typical_locations"]:
anomalies.append({
"type": "NEW_COUNTRY",
"severity": "HIGH",
"detail": f"Login from new country: {country}"
})
# New application
if event.get("app") and event["app"] not in baseline["typical_apps"]:
anomalies.append({
"type": "NEW_APPLICATION",
"severity": "LOW",
"detail": f"Access to new application: {event['app']}"
})
# New device
if event.get("device") and event["device"] not in baseline["typical_devices"]:
anomalies.append({
"type": "NEW_DEVICE",
"severity": "MEDIUM",
"detail": f"Login from new device: {event['device']}"
})
# Weekend login for weekday-only users
if event_time.dayofweek >= 5 and 5 not in baseline["typical_days"] and 6 not in baseline["typical_days"]:
anomalies.append({
"type": "WEEKEND_LOGIN",
"severity": "LOW",
"detail": f"Weekend login detected (typical days: {baseline['typical_days']})"
})
return anomalies
def isolation_forest_anomaly_detection(df):
"""Use Isolation Forest for multivariate anomaly detection."""
# Feature engineering
features_df = df.copy()
features_df["timestamp"] = pd.to_datetime(features_df["timestamp"])
features_df["hour"] = features_df["timestamp"].dt.hour
features_df["day_of_week"] = features_df["timestamp"].dt.dayofweek
features_df["is_failure"] = (features_df["result"] == "failure").astype(int)
# Encode categorical features
features_df["ip_frequency"] = features_df.groupby("source_ip")["source_ip"].transform("count")
features_df["user_frequency"] = features_df.groupby("user")["user"].transform("count")
feature_columns = ["hour", "day_of_week", "is_failure", "ip_frequency", "user_frequency"]
X = features_df[feature_columns].fillna(0)
# Train Isolation Forest
model = IsolationForest(
n_estimators=200,
contamination=0.01, # Expect 1% anomaly rate
random_state=42,
n_jobs=-1
)
features_df["anomaly_score"] = model.fit_predict(X)
features_df["anomaly_probability"] = model.score_samples(X)
# Extract anomalies (labeled as -1)
anomalies = features_df[features_df["anomaly_score"] == -1]
return anomalies.sort_values("anomaly_probability")
Step 5: Implement SIEM Detection Rules
Deploy detection rules for common authentication attack patterns:
# Splunk SPL queries for authentication anomaly detection
# 1. Brute Force Detection
# name: Authentication Brute Force - Multiple Failed Logins
# severity: high
brute_force_spl: |
index=auth sourcetype IN ("azure:aad:signin", "okta:im:log", "WinEventLog:Security")
(result="failure" OR EventCode=4625)
| bin _time span=10m
| stats count as failed_attempts dc(src_ip) as unique_ips
values(src_ip) as source_ips
latest(_time) as last_attempt
by user _time
| where failed_attempts >= 10
| eval alert_type=if(unique_ips > 3, "Distributed Brute Force", "Standard Brute Force")
# 2. Password Spray Detection
# name: Password Spray Attack - Multiple Users Same Source
# severity: critical
password_spray_spl: |
index=auth sourcetype IN ("azure:aad:signin", "okta:im:log")
result="failure"
| bin _time span=30m
| stats dc(user) as targeted_users count as total_attempts
values(user) as users_targeted
by src_ip _time
| where targeted_users >= 10
| eval attempts_per_user = round(total_attempts / targeted_users, 1)
| where attempts_per_user <= 3
| eval severity=if(targeted_users > 50, "CRITICAL", "HIGH")
# 3. Impossible Travel Detection
# name: Impossible Travel - Geographically Inconsistent Logins
# severity: high
impossible_travel_spl: |
index=auth result="success"
| iplocation src_ip
| sort user _time
| streamstats current=f last(lat) as prev_lat last(lon) as prev_lon
last(_time) as prev_time last(City) as prev_city last(Country) as prev_country
by user
| where isnotnull(prev_lat) AND isnotnull(lat)
| eval distance_km = 6371 * 2 * asin(sqrt(
pow(sin((lat - prev_lat) * pi() / 360), 2) +
cos(prev_lat * pi() / 180) * cos(lat * pi() / 180) *
pow(sin((lon - prev_lon) * pi() / 360), 2)))
| eval time_hours = (_time - prev_time) / 3600
| eval required_speed = distance_km / time_hours
| where required_speed > 900 AND distance_km > 100
# 4. Credential Stuffing Detection
# name: Credential Stuffing - High Volume Failed Logins with Some Successes
# severity: critical
credential_stuffing_spl: |
index=auth
| bin _time span=1h
| stats count(eval(result="failure")) as failures
count(eval(result="success")) as successes
dc(user) as unique_users
dc(src_ip) as unique_ips
by src_ip _time
| where failures > 100 AND successes > 0 AND unique_users > 20
| eval success_rate = round(successes / (failures + successes) * 100, 2)
| where success_rate < 5
Step 6: Correlate and Score Authentication Anomalies
Combine multiple detection signals into risk scores:
def calculate_auth_risk_score(user, alerts, baseline):
"""
Calculate composite risk score for authentication events.
Combines multiple anomaly signals with weighted scoring.
"""
score = 0
risk_factors = []
weights = {
"IMPOSSIBLE_TRAVEL": 40,
"PASSWORD_SPRAY": 35,
"BRUTE_FORCE": 30,
"CREDENTIAL_STUFFING": 35,
"NEW_COUNTRY": 25,
"OFF_HOURS_LOGIN": 15,
"NEW_SOURCE_IP": 10,
"NEW_DEVICE": 10,
"NEW_APPLICATION": 5,
"WEEKEND_LOGIN": 5,
"MFA_BYPASS": 45,
"LEGACY_PROTOCOL": 20
}
for alert in alerts:
alert_type = alert.get("type") or alert.get("alert_type")
weight = weights.get(alert_type, 10)
# Adjust weight based on severity
severity_multiplier = {
"CRITICAL": 2.0,
"HIGH": 1.5,
"MEDIUM": 1.0,
"LOW": 0.5
}
severity = alert.get("severity", "MEDIUM")
adjusted_weight = weight * severity_multiplier.get(severity, 1.0)
score += adjusted_weight
risk_factors.append({
"factor": alert_type,
"weight": adjusted_weight,
"detail": alert.get("detail", alert.get("details", ""))
})
# Normalize score to 0-100
normalized_score = min(100, score)
# Determine risk level
if normalized_score >= 80:
risk_level = "CRITICAL"
recommended_action = "Immediate account suspension and investigation"
elif normalized_score >= 60:
risk_level = "HIGH"
recommended_action = "Force MFA re-enrollment and notify SOC"
elif normalized_score >= 40:
risk_level = "MEDIUM"
recommended_action = "Require step-up authentication"
elif normalized_score >= 20:
risk_level = "LOW"
recommended_action = "Monitor and log for trend analysis"
else:
risk_level = "INFORMATIONAL"
recommended_action = "No action required"
return {
"user": user,
"risk_score": normalized_score,
"risk_level": risk_level,
"recommended_action": recommended_action,
"risk_factors": sorted(risk_factors, key=lambda x: x["weight"], reverse=True),
"timestamp": datetime.utcnow().isoformat()
}
Key Concepts
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Impossible Travel | Authentication anomaly where a user logs in from two geographically distant locations within a timeframe that makes physical travel impossible |
| Password Spraying | Credential attack that tries a small number of commonly used passwords against many accounts to avoid lockout thresholds |
| Credential Stuffing | Automated attack using stolen username/password pairs from data breaches to gain unauthorized access to accounts |
| UEBA | User and Entity Behavior Analytics technology that builds behavioral baselines and detects deviations using machine learning and statistical analysis |
| Behavioral Baseline | Statistical profile of a user's normal authentication patterns including typical hours, locations, devices, and applications |
| Isolation Forest | Unsupervised machine learning algorithm that detects anomalies by isolating observations that differ from the majority of data points |
| Risk Score | Composite numerical value aggregating multiple anomaly signals with weighted scoring to prioritize authentication threats |
Tools & Systems
- Microsoft Sentinel UEBA: Cloud-native SIEM with built-in entity behavior analytics for Azure AD and multi-cloud authentication anomaly detection
- Exabeam Advanced Analytics: UEBA platform using machine learning for user session analysis and automated threat timeline construction
- Splunk UBA: Behavioral analytics add-on for Splunk providing pre-built authentication anomaly models and risk scoring
- Elastic SIEM ML Jobs: Machine learning anomaly detection jobs for authentication log analysis in the Elastic Stack
Common Scenarios
Scenario: Detecting Compromised Executive Account After Password Spray
Context: SOC observes a spike in failed authentication attempts from a cloud VPS IP address targeting 200+ accounts. Two hours later, an executive account shows successful authentication from the same IP range followed by mailbox rule creation and data exfiltration.
Approach:
- Run password spray detection across the timeframe to identify all targeted accounts
- Cross-reference targeted accounts with subsequent successful logins from related IP ranges
- Build behavioral baseline for the executive account and flag all deviations
- Check for impossible travel between the executive's last legitimate login and the attacker's session
- Identify post-compromise activity: mailbox rules, file downloads, delegated access changes
- Calculate composite risk score combining password spray, new IP, off-hours login, and new device signals
- Trigger automated response: force session termination, disable account, notify manager
Pitfalls:
- Relying on single-signal detection (failed logins only) misses successful spray results
- Not correlating across identity providers when users have accounts in multiple IdPs
- Static thresholds that do not account for legitimate VPN IP changes or travel
- Ignoring successful authentications after the spray window closes (attackers may wait before using credentials)
Output Format
AUTHENTICATION ANOMALY DETECTION REPORT
=========================================
Analysis Period: 2026-02-01 to 2026-02-24
Total Auth Events: 2,847,392
Users Monitored: 3,847
Alert Sources: Azure AD, Okta, Windows AD
THREAT DETECTION SUMMARY
Password Spray Attacks: 3
Brute Force Attacks: 12
Impossible Travel: 8
Credential Stuffing: 1
Behavioral Anomalies: 47
HIGH-RISK ACCOUNTS
[CRITICAL] j.smith@corp.com Score: 92
- Impossible travel: Chicago -> Moscow (7,876 km in 0.5h)
- Password spray target followed by successful login
- New device and browser fingerprint
- Off-hours access to SharePoint and email
Action: Account suspended, SOC investigation initiated
[HIGH] m.johnson@corp.com Score: 67
- Login from new country (Brazil)
- New source IP not matching VPN ranges
- Access to HR application outside normal pattern
Action: MFA re-enrollment required, manager notified
[MEDIUM] a.williams@corp.com Score: 38
- Weekend login at 03:00 UTC
- New device (Linux, typically Windows user)
Action: Step-up authentication applied
ATTACK CAMPAIGN DETAILS
Password Spray Campaign #1:
Source: 185.220.101.x/24 (Tor exit node)
Targeted Users: 247
Success Rate: 0.8% (2 accounts compromised)
Compromised: j.smith@corp.com, r.davis@corp.com
Duration: 45 minutes
Pattern: 2 attempts per user, 3-second interval
Frequently asked questions about Detecting Anomalous Authentication Patterns
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