> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/analytics-alerts/alerts-by-name/first-time-directory-sync-of-an-on-premises-domain-user-to-an-existing-cloud-account.md).

# First-time directory sync of an on-premises domain user to an existing cloud account

### Synopsis

| Field                | Value                                         |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Activation Period    | 14 Days                                       |
| Training Period      | 30 Days                                       |
| Test Period          | N/A (single event)                            |
| Deduplication Period | 1 Day                                         |
| Required Data        | AzureAD Audit Log                             |
| Detection Modules    | Identity Threat Module, SaaS Threat Detection |
| ATT\&CK Tactic       | Persistence (TA0003)                          |
| ATT\&CK Technique    | Valid Accounts (T1078)                        |
| Severity             | Informational                                 |

### Description

First-time synchronization of an on-premises domain user with an existing cloud account.

### Attacker's Goals

* Attackers may leverage DirectorySync to move laterally from a compromised on-premise environment into the cloud tenant, allowing them to bypass the cloud's security boundaries and take over high-value cloud identities.

### Investigative actions

* Check if the cloud account was an administrator (Global Admin, etc.) before this sync.
* Determine if the on-premise user was recently created or if its 'proxyAddress' attribute was recently modified.
* Confirm if the organization intended to transition this account from Cloud-Only to Hybrid.
* Verify the consistency between the on-premises 'ObjectGUID' and the newly assigned 'ImmutableID' in Azure AD.


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