Okta Details

    Organization Logo

    Okta

    San Francisco, CA6000 employees • Information Technology

    Industry

    Information Technology

    Security Incidents

    4

    Okta is a technology company that provides cloud-based software to help organizations securely manage access to their applications and data. It offers solutions for identity and access management, enabling users to log in securely with one set of credentials across multiple platforms.

    Security Incidents

    Okta Breach of Oct 2023
    Severity Score
    High

    Type

    Social Engineering

    Summary

    In October 2023, Okta experienced a security breach wherein a threat actor leveraged a compromised personal Google account of an Okta employee to gain unauthorized access to Okta’s customer support system via a service account. This breach affected 134 customers initially; the intruder viewed and downloaded files, some of which contained session tokens, enabling the hijacking of sessions for five customers. Further investigation revealed that the attacker also downloaded a report containing names and email addresses of all Okta customers with support system accounts, raising the risk of phishi...
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    Severity

    The Okta security breach was quite significant, affecting less than 1% of its customer base yet exposing private customer information and allowing unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions. The subsequent discovery that attackers had downloaded a report containing the names and email addresses of all customers with a customer support system account further heightens the incident's severity. Given that such information can be leveraged for phishing and social engineering attacks, the potential for broader impact across Okta's clientele, including high-profile companies like FedE...
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    Impact

    The recent cyber incident at Okta was a significant data breach, affecting files linked to 134 customers, roughly 1% of its client base. During the breach, unauthorized session hijacking occurred for five of these customers, potentially exposing sensitive operational data. Additionally, the attackers managed to download a report containing the names and email addresses of all Okta's customers with a support system account, raising the possibility of subsequent phishing or social engineering attacks. Although Okta quickly responded by notifying affected customers and tightening security measure...
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    Okta Breach of Mar 2022
    Severity Score
    Significant to High

    Type

    Unknown

    Summary

    In January 2022, hackers accessed Okta’s internal network through Sykes, a customer support subcontractor, affecting about 2.5% of Okta’s customers. The hacking group Lapsus$ was in the network for five days, from January 16-21, before being detected and expelled. They gained this access by exploiting weaker cybersecurity defenses at the customer support level, potentially leading to compromised internal systems and data.

    Severity

    The breach at Okta was severe, impacting 2.5% of its customers due to unauthorized access to its internal network. The breach occurred through a customer support subcontractor and lasted for five days before being detected and addressed. Okta's delayed response in notifying its customers and fully understanding the breach's impact drew significant criticism from the security community.

    Impact

    The security breach at Okta impacted 366 corporate customers, which constitutes about 2.5% of its total customer base.

    These customers could have had their internal systems and data exposed due to the breach. The breach not only led to potential security risks for these affected customers but also damaged Okta's reputation due to their handling of the incident and the delay in notification.
    Okta Breach of Dec 2022
    Severity Score
    Moderate to Significant

    Type

    Other

    Summary

    In early May, a threat actor accessed Okta's GitHub repositories, which led to the unauthorized copying of source code related to its Workforce Identity Cloud (WIC) service. Okta was alerted by GitHub to suspicious activity, and the company quickly restricted access to its repositories and suspended GitHub integrations. While there was no breach of Okta's core services or customer data, the exact method the attackers used to access the repositories has not been disclosed by Okta.

    Severity

    The breach's severity appears moderate, as it involved unauthorized access to source code but not to Okta's operational services or customer data. The fact that Okta's core services and customer data remained secure minimizes the immediate risk to users. However, the exposure of source code could potentially allow attackers to find vulnerabilities in the future, raising long-term security concerns.

    Impact

    The breach specifically impacted Okta's source code for its Workforce Identity Cloud, but there was no direct impact on Okta's operational services or customer data. The absence of customer data compromise means that Okta users and clients, including those using Auth0 products, were not directly affected in terms of data privacy or security. The main concern is the potential vulnerability exposure from the stolen source code, which could lead to future security risks if not properly mitigated.
    Okta Breach of Aug 2022
    Severity Score
    Significant

    Type

    Other

    Summary

    In August 2022, unauthorized access to Twilio's systems led to a security breach impacting 163 of its customers, including Okta. The attackers gained access through phishing campaigns and were able to view mobile phone numbers and one-time passwords (OTPs) of some Okta customers via the Twilio console. Although the attackers searched for specific phone numbers and intercepted OTPs, there's no indication they used this information to further their access or target individuals broadly. Twilio and Okta's investigations revealed that this was part of a broader pattern of attacks by a group known a...
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    Severity

    The breach's severity was moderate, primarily impacting a limited set of data—specifically, mobile phone numbers and one-time passwords for some Okta customers. Although the attackers had the ability to access this sensitive information, there was no confirmed misuse of the data to gain unauthorized access or cause further harm. Okta and Twilio responded promptly to mitigate the damage, reducing the potential severity of the incident.

    Impact

    The breach affected 163 Twilio customers, including Okta, where attackers accessed mobile phone numbers and one-time passwords. The direct impact was limited to a small number of Okta customers whose phone numbers were visible during the unauthorized access. Okta notified these affected customers and has taken steps to secure their data and prevent future incidents.