Modify Authentication Process: Multi-Factor Authentication
- ID
- T1556.006
- Tactics
- TA0003 Persistence, TA0006 Credential Access, TA0112 Defense Impairment
- Sub-technique of
- T1556 Modify Authentication Process
- Platforms
- IaaS, Identity Provider, Linux, macOS, Office Suite, SaaS, Windows
- Data sources
- Active Directory Object Modification, Script Execution, Application Log Content, User Account Modification, Cloud Service Modification, File Modification, User Account Authentication
- Source
- attack.mitre.org
- MITRE last modified
- 12 May 2026
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.[2][3]
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. [4]
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.[4]
Detection
- DET0190 Detect MFA Modification or Disabling Across Platforms
Data components: Active Directory Object Modification, Script Execution, Application Log Content, User Account Modification, Cloud Service Modification, File Modification, User Account Authentication
Mitigations (3)
- M1018 User Account Management
Ensure that proper policies are implemented to dictate the secure enrollment and deactivation of MFA for user accounts.
- M1032 Multi-factor Authentication
Ensure that MFA and MFA policies and requirements are properly implemented for existing and deactivated or dormant accounts and devices. If possible, consider configuring MFA solutions to "fail closed" rather than grant access in case of serious errors.
- M1047 Audit
Review MFA actions alongside authentication logs to ensure that MFA-based logins are functioning as intended. Review user accounts to ensure that all accounts have MFA enabled.[1]