Skip to main content

One Token to rule them all - obtaining Global Admin in every Entra ID tenant via Actor tokens

Medium
Published: Wed Sep 17 2025 (09/17/2025, 15:12:50 UTC)
Source: Reddit NetSec

Description

One Token to rule them all - obtaining Global Admin in every Entra ID tenant via Actor tokens Source: https://dirkjanm.io/obtaining-global-admin-in-every-entra-id-tenant-with-actor-tokens/

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 09/17/2025, 15:13:55 UTC

Technical Analysis

The security threat titled "One Token to rule them all - obtaining Global Admin in every Entra ID tenant via Actor tokens" describes a novel attack vector targeting Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) tenants. The attack leverages so-called "Actor tokens" to escalate privileges and obtain Global Administrator rights across multiple Entra ID tenants. Global Admin privileges represent the highest level of administrative access within Entra ID, enabling full control over identity and access management, user accounts, and security configurations. The attack appears to exploit weaknesses in token issuance or validation mechanisms, allowing an attacker to impersonate or misuse Actor tokens to gain unauthorized administrative access. Although detailed technical specifics are not provided in the summary, the referenced source (dirkjanm.io) is known for in-depth security research on Microsoft identity platforms. The threat is classified as medium severity and currently has no known exploits in the wild, indicating it may be a recently discovered vulnerability or attack technique with limited public exploitation. The minimal discussion on Reddit and low engagement score suggest it is an emerging issue requiring further community validation and awareness. This threat highlights risks in identity federation and token-based authentication systems, where a single compromised token can lead to widespread tenant compromise. It underscores the importance of secure token issuance, validation, and monitoring within cloud identity services like Entra ID.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, the impact of this threat could be significant given the widespread adoption of Microsoft Entra ID for identity and access management across enterprises, public sector, and critical infrastructure. Unauthorized Global Admin access could lead to full tenant compromise, including data exfiltration, account takeover, privilege escalation, and disruption of business operations. Sensitive personal data protected under GDPR could be exposed, leading to regulatory penalties and reputational damage. The threat also raises concerns for managed service providers and multi-tenant environments common in Europe, where a single compromised token might allow attackers to pivot across multiple customer tenants. Given the central role of Entra ID in securing cloud resources, this vulnerability could facilitate large-scale attacks impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of services. However, the absence of known exploits and the medium severity rating suggest that immediate widespread impact is limited but could escalate if weaponized. European organizations relying heavily on Microsoft cloud services should consider this threat a priority for risk assessment and mitigation.

Mitigation Recommendations

To mitigate this threat, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Conduct a thorough review of token issuance and validation policies within Entra ID, ensuring strict adherence to least privilege principles and secure token lifetimes. 2) Enable and monitor detailed audit logs for token usage and administrative actions to detect anomalous behavior indicative of token misuse. 3) Apply conditional access policies that restrict administrative access based on trusted locations, device compliance, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforcement to reduce the risk of token abuse. 4) Regularly review and minimize the number of Global Admin accounts, using privileged identity management (PIM) to provide just-in-time access and reduce standing privileges. 5) Stay current with Microsoft security advisories and patches related to Entra ID and Actor tokens, applying updates promptly once available. 6) Engage in threat hunting exercises focused on token anomalies and unusual administrative activity. 7) Educate security teams about this specific attack vector to improve detection and incident response readiness. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on token security controls and administrative privilege management specific to Entra ID environments.

Need more detailed analysis?Get Pro

Technical Details

Source Type
reddit
Subreddit
netsec
Reddit Score
1
Discussion Level
minimal
Content Source
reddit_link_post
Domain
dirkjanm.io
Newsworthiness Assessment
{"score":27.1,"reasons":["external_link","established_author","very_recent"],"isNewsworthy":true,"foundNewsworthy":[],"foundNonNewsworthy":[]}
Has External Source
true
Trusted Domain
false

Threat ID: 68cad024bcc5ab4e4ac09b6e

Added to database: 9/17/2025, 3:13:40 PM

Last enriched: 9/17/2025, 3:13:55 PM

Last updated: 9/19/2025, 1:39:16 PM

Views: 34

Actions

PRO

Updates to AI analysis are available only with a Pro account. Contact root@offseq.com for access.

Please log in to the Console to use AI analysis features.

Need enhanced features?

Contact root@offseq.com for Pro access with improved analysis and higher rate limits.

Latest Threats