After a security breach, forensic investigators<\/a> work quickly to follow the attacker\u2019s trail. Security experts have analyzed this situation and found that a key source of evidence is often overlooked: Microsoft Azure Storage<\/a> logs.<\/p>\n While frequently overlooked, these logs provide invaluable insights that can help reconstruct an attack, trace data theft, and identify security gaps.<\/p>\n Azure Storage Accounts, which can hold vast amounts of sensitive data, are a prime target for threat actors aiming to exfiltrate information. <\/p>\n However, the diagnostic logging that captures their malicious activity is not always enabled by default, creating a significant blind spot for incident response teams. Without these logs, crucial evidence of how attackers accessed and stole data can be lost forever.<\/p>\n Threat actors exploit various weaknesses to gain unauthorized access, including misconfigured security settings, weak access controls, and leaked credentials. <\/p>\n Two common methods involve the misuse of Shared Access Signature (SAS)<\/a> tokens, which grant specific permissions for a limited time, and the exposure of Storage Account keys, which provide privileged, long-term access to the data, Microsoft said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once logging is enabled correctly, investigators can turn to the\u00a0 These logs capture essential details about every read, write, and delete operation on stored data. Key fields provide a digital breadcrumb trail of the attacker\u2019s actions:<\/p>\n By analyzing these fields, investigators can differentiate between legitimate user activity and a threat actor\u2019s movements. <\/p>\n For example, a sudden spike in \u201cListContainers\u201d or \u201cListBlobs\u201d operations from an unknown IP address could indicate an attacker is mapping out the storage environment. <\/p>\n Similarly, tracking \u201cGetBlob\u201d operations can confirm data exfiltration and identify exactly which files were accessed.<\/p>\n The investigation often starts by correlating suspicious sign-ins from Microsoft Entra ID<\/a> with activity in the storage logs. In one scenario, a compromised user account with administrative privileges might be used to grant another malicious account access roles like \u201cStorage Blob Data Contributor.\u201d<\/p>\n The\u00a0 By correlating the authentication<\/a> hash of a SAS token, investigators can track every action performed with that token, even if the attacker switches IP addresses. This helps define the full scope of the compromise.<\/p>\n Dreymann and Shiva P\u2019s analysis underscores a critical message for organizations using Azure: enabling storage account logging is not just an option but a necessity. <\/p>\n These logs are indispensable for post-breach forensics, allowing teams to understand the incident\u2019s scope, guide remediation efforts, and implement stronger controls to prevent future data theft.<\/p>\n Find this Story Interesting! Follow us on Google News<\/a>,\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0to Get More Instant Updates<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The post How Microsoft Azure Storage Logs Aid Forensics Following a Security Breach<\/a> appeared first on Cyber Security News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMicrosoft Azure Storage Logs<\/strong> For Forensic<\/strong>
\n<\/h2>\nStorageBlobLogs<\/code>\u00a0table within Azure\u2019s Log Analytics.<\/p>\n![\"Table](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEga8_RA8zgf4KxKQh-9x7pTGKjUvl_xh_6rGfGDnGfLLsB4P9PfRwb9qetDUn5SENsxvgYig6rea7av1wmMS-Jzrmn_noH87mBzEp2lu6JC6ppvnl2JSr6alOV7jdh9eNdDho4eIc-hKaml4MsYZx_4pGnzXz5PGkDADTBExFpbHGDIHxq0jOdHuFkM3IJU\/s16000\/storage%2520logs.webp?ssl=1\")
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![\"Failure](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjmdhYaQCvWFymZNQgKM5Gm-bcHhAUP8dhlDjuMWhQ51YQsLUYMzsJqs3AxW6uNB_oTrvO7di7saGB5xwfykR_5ajSeo9LUqnbZID2CvymhISlWGURBa7n94FL1Mp4eRkrLOdDx4UqyfT-IzQIgeKj9lwfZZc1ZV8Jp4VwSO5seZjtWA3_DOo096LXaAiOn\/s16000\/for%2520inc.webp?ssl=1\")
From Detection to Prevention<\/strong><\/h2>\n
AzureActivity<\/code>\u00a0logs would show this role assignment, while the\u00a0StorageBlobLogs<\/code>\u00a0logs would subsequently reveal the new account accessing and downloading sensitive files.<\/p>\n