AuthQuake Vulnerability in Microsoft’s Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Rapid Session Creation and Brute-Force Attacks
The Oasis research team discovered a vulnerability in Microsoft’s Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) system, which allows attackers to rapidly create new sessions and enumerate codes, attempting combinations at a high rate and exhausting all one million possible 6-digit codes. During these attack attempts, account owners received no alerts about the numerous failed attempts, making this vulnerability highly stealthy and dangerous.
Importance of Proper Configuration
“The recent discovery of the AuthQuake vulnerability in Microsoft’s Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) serves as a reminder that security isn’t just about deploying MFA – it must also be configured properly,” said James Scobey, chief information security officer at Keeper Security. “While MFA is undoubtedly a powerful defense, its effectiveness depends on key settings, such as rate limiting to thwart brute-force attempts and user notifications for failed login attempts.”
Extended Timeframe Adds Icing on the Top
Authenticator app codes follow time-based one-time-password (TOTP) guidelines, generating a new code every 30 seconds, with a slight extension allowing for time discrepancies between users and validators.
Conclusion
The AuthQuake vulnerability in Microsoft’s Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) highlights the importance of proper configuration and security measures. It is crucial to implement rate limiting and user notifications to prevent brute-force attacks and ensure the effectiveness of MFA. Organizations must prioritize security and take necessary steps to protect their users and systems.
FAQs
Q: What is the AuthQuake vulnerability?
A: The AuthQuake vulnerability is a security flaw in Microsoft’s Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) system that allows attackers to rapidly create new sessions and enumerate codes, attempting combinations at a high rate and exhausting all one million possible 6-digit codes.
Q: How does the vulnerability work?
A: The vulnerability works by allowing attackers to rapidly create new sessions and enumerate codes, attempting combinations at a high rate and exhausting all one million possible 6-digit codes. During these attack attempts, account owners receive no alerts about the numerous failed attempts, making this vulnerability highly stealthy and dangerous.
Q: What is the impact of the vulnerability?
A: The impact of the vulnerability is that it allows attackers to compromise MFA-protected accounts without being detected, making it a highly dangerous and stealthy attack vector.
Q: How can organizations prevent the vulnerability?
A: Organizations can prevent the vulnerability by implementing rate limiting and user notifications for failed login attempts, ensuring that MFA is properly configured and security measures are in place to prevent brute-force attacks.
Q: What is the solution to the vulnerability?
A: The solution to the vulnerability is to implement rate limiting and user notifications for failed login attempts, ensuring that MFA is properly configured and security measures are in place to prevent brute-force attacks.
