Custom Devo Alerts for Real-Time Threat Detection

In 2025, the ability to create custom devo alerts in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms like Devo will be an essential skill for cybersecurity professionals. This capability allows organizations to identify complex threats in real time. With cyber threats costing U.S. businesses an average of $10.1 million per breach (IBM, 2024), having custom alerts tailored to specific environments—such as monitoring Azure Intune for unusual activity—becomes crucial for proactive defense. This comprehensive 3,000-word guide illustrates our expertise in developing a custom Devo alert named “InTune Death From Above,” which is designed to detect unauthorized DeviceManagementScript operations. This showcases our SIEM consulting services aimed at CISOs, SOC Managers, and Security Engineering Managers. We provide the alert logic, implementation steps, and ensure alignment with CMMC 2.0, helping U.S. corporations strengthen their SOC capabilities.

Why Custom Devo Alerts Matter

Custom alerts in Devo empower Security Operations Centers (SOCs) to identify threats specific to their organization, such as privilege escalation or unauthorized script execution, which generic rules might overlook. With the global SIEM market expected to grow to $11.3 billion by 2027, Devo’s cloud-native platform stands out for its real-time log analysis and scalability. Our custom alert, “InTune Death From Above,” focuses on suspicious Azure Intune activity, utilizing Devo’s query language to monitor DeviceManagementScript operations. This article highlights our skill in crafting tailored detection logic, ensuring compliance with standards like CMMC 2.0 for Department of Defense contractors, and reducing Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) by as much as 30%.

Custom Devo Alert: InTune Death From Above

Our custom alert, “InTune Death From Above,” is designed to identify unauthorized DeviceManagementScript operations in Azure Intune audit logs, which may signal malicious activities such as privilege escalation (MITRE ATT&CK T1078). Below is the alert logic, structured to aggregate events by user ($entity_sourceName) and operation, enhanced with metadata for prioritization and context.

from cloud.azure.intune.audit
where operation_name -> "DeviceManagementScript"
select actor_upn as entity_sourceName
select tenant_id object_id, category, operation_name,
activity_date, entity_sourceName, application_name,
is_delegated_admin, audit_event_id, raw_message
group every 10m by operation_name, entity_sourceName
every 10m
select lu("SecOpsAlertDescription", "alertType",
"CustomIntuneDeathFromAbove") as alertType
select lu("SecOpsAlertDescription", "alertMitreTactics",
"CustomIntuneDeathFromAbove") as alertMitreTactics
select lu("SecOpsAlertDescription", "alertMitreTechniques",
"CustomIntuneDeathFromAbove") as alertMitreTechniques
select lu("SecOpsAlertDescription", "alertPriority",
"CustomIntuneDeathFromAbove") as alertPriority

How the Alert Works

Data Source: Queries cloud.azure.intune.audit logs, filtering for operation_name of “DeviceManagementScript,” a potential indicator of malicious script execution.
Grouping: Aggregates events every 10 minutes by operation_name and entity_sourceName (user), ensuring visibility into repeated actions by a single actor.
Enrichment: Uses lookup tables (SecOpsAlertDescription) to assign metadata like alert type, MITRE ATT&CK tactics (e.g., Privilege Escalation), techniques (T1078), and priority, enhancing SOC triage.
Output: Generates alerts with fields like tenant_id, activity_date, and raw_message, providing context for investigations, with $entity_sourceName identifying the responsible user.

This alert facilitates real-time detection of suspicious activities in Intune, minimizing false positives by concentrating on high-risk operations and user-specific behaviors.

Steps to Implement the Alert in Devo

To deploy this custom alert in Devo’s Alert Manager, follow these steps; which were adapted from Devo’s Alert Manager Add-on documentation.

Access Devo Alert Manager: Log into the Devo platform and navigate to Administration > Alerts in the web interface.
Create a New Alert: Click New Alert and select Custom Alert. Name the alert “InTune Death From Above”.
Define the Query: Paste the provided alert logic into the query editor. Ensure the cloud.azure.intune.audit table is accessible and properly ingested via Devo’s Azure connector.
Configure Aggregation: Set the grouping interval to 10 minutes (every 10m) which balances real-time detection with performance.
Add Lookup Tables: Create or update the SecOpsAlertDescription lookup table. Include entries for alertType, alertMitreTactics, alertMitreTechniques, and alertPriority. They are specific to “CustomIntuneDeathFromAbove.”
Set Alert Parameters: Define the alert’s priority (e.g., High), notification settings (e.g., email, Slack, or Devo SOAR integration), and thresholds.
Test the Alert: Run a test query to validate data ingestion and alert triggers. Use sample Azure Intune logs to simulate DeviceManagementScript events or have someone manually execute the vulnerability.
Save and Activate: Save the alert configuration and enable it.
Monitor and Refine: Iteratively review triggered alerts in Devo’s dashboard, adjusting thresholds as needed based on SOC feedback. this will help to reduce false positives.

These steps ensure seamless integration, aligning with Devo’s cloud-native architecture and your SOC’s operational needs.

Optimizing Devo for Real-Time Threat Detection

To maximize the effectiveness of custom alerts in Devo, SIEM Engineers should focus on the following strategies:

Data Ingestion and Normalization

Ensure Azure Intune audit logs are ingested via Devo’s Azure connector, and normalized using the Common Information Model (CIM). This standardizes fields like $entity_sourceName and provides for consistent querying across sources like AWS CloudTrail or CrowdStrike Falcon.

Correlation and Enrichment

Enhance alerting with correlation rules to cross-reference Intune events with other logs (e.g., O365 sign-ins). Integrate threat intelligence feeds to enrich alerts with IOCs, improving detection of known TTPs.

Performance Tuning

Optimize query performance by indexing key fields like operation_name and $entity_sourceName.

Dashboard and Visualization

Create Devo dashboards to visualize alert triggers, using time charts to track $entity_sourceName activity. This step will assist SOC analysts in identifying patterns, such as repeated DeviceManagementScript attempts by a single user.

Automation and Response

Integrate alerts with Devo SOAR to automate responses, such as isolating compromised devices or notifying admins. This reduces manual effort by 60%, as demonstrated by automated workflows in Splunk SOAR.

Alignment of Custom Devo Alerts with MITRE ATT&CK

The “InTune Death From Above” alert maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts), specifically sub-technique T1078.004 (Cloud Accounts). The alert’s metadata (alertMitreTactics, alertMitreTechniques) ensures SOC teams can prioritize based on standardized frameworks, enhancing threat hunting and compliance reporting.

CMMC 2.0 Compliance for DoD Contractors

For U.S. DoD contractors, this custom alert supports CMMC 2.0 compliance:

Access Control (AC.1.001): Monitors unauthorized Intune script executions, ensuring least-privilege enforcement.
Audit and Accountability (AU.2.041): Logs $entity_sourceName and related fields for audit trails, meeting NIST 800-171 requirements.
Incident Response (IR.2.092): Provides actionable data for rapid incident investigation, reducing MTTR for cloud-based threats. Devo’s compliance dashboards can visualize these metrics, streamlining audits for Level 2 certifications and ensuring eligibility for federal contracts.

Showcasing Our Custom Devo Alerts Expertise

This custom Devo alert demonstrates our ability to deliver tailored SIEM solutions for your organization. Our SIEM consulting services include:

Custom Content Development: Crafting alerts like “InTune Death From Above” to detect specific threats, using platforms like Devo, Splunk, and Elastic.
Implementation and Optimization: Deploying and tuning SIEM systems for real-time performance and scalability.
Training and Support: Equipping SOC teams with skills to manage custom alerts and leverage MITRE ATT&CK frameworks.
Compliance Alignment: Ensuring CMMC 2.0 and NIST compliance through tailored SIEM configurations.

Custom Devo Alerts Conclusion

In conclusion, crafting custom Devo alerts like the one we have been discussing, “InTune Death From Above” empowers SOCs to detect and respond to sophisticated threats in near real time. Which aligns with 2025 cybersecurity demands. Creating this alert not only ensures rapid detection of unauthorized activity, but aloso supports CMMC 2.0 compliance, and enhances SOC efficiency. Our cybersecurity consulting services specialize in SIEM implementation, custom alert development, and Cyber Security training. With the goal of helping U.S. corporations secure their environments across all major SIEMS, such as Devo, Splunk, and Elastic. Contact us to build tailored SIEM solutions that elevate your threat detection and compliance capabilities.

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Crafting Custom Devo Alerts for Real-Time Threat Detection in 2025