Splunk

Cisco Duo Policy Allow Devices Without Screen Lock

Last updated 2 days ago on 2026-07-17

About

The following analytic detects when a Duo policy is created or updated to allow devices without a screen lock requirement. It identifies this behavior by searching Duo administrator activity logs for policy creation or update events where the 'require_lock' setting is set to false. This action may indicate a weakening of device security controls, potentially exposing the organization to unauthorized access if devices are lost or stolen. For a Security Operations Center (SOC), identifying such policy changes is critical, as attackers or malicious insiders may attempt to lower authentication standards to facilitate unauthorized access. The impact of this attack could include increased risk of credential compromise, data breaches, or lateral movement within the environment due to reduced device security requirements.
Platform
Splunk
Tags
Data Source: SplunkDomain: ApplicationRule Type: QueryOS: Any
Severity
medium
Risk Score
47
References
https://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/7404(external, opens in a new tab or window)
False Positives
No false positives have been identified at this time.
Source
View on GitHub(external, opens in a new tab or window)

Definition

Rule Language
SPL
Rule Type
query
text code block:
`cisco_duo_administrator` action=policy_update OR action=policy_create | spath input=description | search require_lock=false | rename object as user | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime BY action actionlabel description user admin_email | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)` | `cisco_duo_policy_allow_devices_without_screen_lock_filter`

View this rule on Splunk

This rule was sourced from the official Splunk public repository. View the original rule on GitHub(external, opens in a new tab or window).