t1556-006-multi-factor-authentication

name	T1556.006_multi-factor-authentication
description	Adversaries may disable or modify multi-factor authentication (MFA) mechanisms to enable persistent access to compromised accounts.
category	authentication
version	18.1
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["mitre-attack","enterprise","t1556.006","credential-access","defense-evasion","persistence","windows","saas","iaas","linux","macos","office-suite","identity-provider","sub-technique"]
technique_id	T1556.006
tactic	credential-access
all_tactics	["credential-access","defense-evasion","persistence"]
platforms	["Windows","SaaS","IaaS","Linux","macOS","Office Suite","Identity Provider"]
mitre_url	https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1556/006
tech_stack	["windows","saas","cloud","linux","macos","office","identity"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-522"]
chains_with	["T1556","T1556.001","T1556.002","T1556.003","T1556.004","T1556.005","T1556.007","T1556.008","T1556.009"]
prerequisites	["T1556"]
severity_boost	{"T1556":"Chain with T1556 for deeper attack path","T1556.001":"Chain with T1556.001 for deeper attack path","T1556.002":"Chain with T1556.002 for deeper attack path"}

T1556.006 Multi-Factor Authentication

Sub-technique of: T1556

High-Level Description

Adversaries may disable or modify multi-factor authentication (MFA) mechanisms to enable persistent access to compromised accounts.

Once adversaries have gained access to a network by either compromising an account lacking MFA or by employing an MFA bypass method such as Multi-Factor Authentication Request Generation, adversaries may leverage their access to modify or completely disable MFA defenses. This can be accomplished by abusing legitimate features, such as excluding users from Azure AD Conditional Access Policies, registering a new yet vulnerable/adversary-controlled MFA method, or by manually patching MFA programs and configuration files to bypass expected functionality.

For example, modifying the Windows hosts file (C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts) to redirect MFA calls to localhost instead of an MFA server may cause the MFA process to fail. If a "fail open" policy is in place, any otherwise successful authentication attempt may be granted access without enforcing MFA.

Depending on the scope, goals, and privileges of the adversary, MFA defenses may be disabled for individual accounts or for all accounts tied to a larger group, such as all domain accounts in a victim's network environment.

Kill Chain Phase

• Credential Access (TA0006)
• Defense Evasion (TA0005)
• Persistence (TA0003)

Platforms: Windows, SaaS, IaaS, Linux, macOS, Office Suite, Identity Provider

What to Check

• Identify if Multi-Factor Authentication technique is applicable to target environment
• Check Windows systems for indicators of Multi-Factor Authentication
• Check SaaS systems for indicators of Multi-Factor Authentication
• Check IaaS systems for indicators of Multi-Factor Authentication
• Verify mitigations are bypassed or absent (3 known mitigations)
• Assess detection coverage (1 detection strategies)

How to Test

Manual Testing

1. Identify Attack Surface: Determine if the target environment is susceptible to Multi-Factor Authentication by examining the target platforms (Windows, SaaS, IaaS).

2. : Review whether mitigations for T1556.006 are in place. If defenses are absent or misconfigured, this technique may be exploitable.