Last Failed Login
Description
The Last Failed Login artifact in the Windows Security Account Manager (SAM) captures information about the most recent unsuccessful attempt to log into a user account. This artifact is critical for security audits, forensic investigations, and monitoring the overall health of system security, as it can indicate unauthorized access attempts or user error.
Location
Information regarding last failed login attempts is stored within the Windows system at:
Primary Location:
C:\Windows\System32\config\SAMRegistry Path:
SAM\Domains\Account\Users\[User RID]
The User Relative Identifier (RID) is unique to each account, which means that the path to find the last failed login attempt data will vary depending on the specific user account being investigated.
Interpretation
The Last Failed Login artifact contains the timestamp of the last unsuccessful login attempt for a user account. Analyzing this data provides valuable insights:
Security Monitoring: Identifying repeated failed login attempts can signal a brute force attack or unauthorized access attempts. Monitoring these attempts allows for timely intervention and security measures to be applied.
Incident Response: In the context of an incident, knowing when a failed login attempt occurred can help in correlating events and understanding the attacker's actions or the timeline of the incident.
User Behavior Analysis: Occasional failed logins may indicate user error (e.g., forgotten passwords) rather than malicious attempts. Tracking these can help in identifying the need for user education or password reset policies.
Utilizing Last Failed Login Data
For security professionals and forensic analysts, the Last Failed Login artifact is used to:
Detect Unauthorized Access Attempts: By analyzing patterns of failed logins, it's possible to identify and respond to potential attacks.
Support Forensic Investigations: Failed login attempts can be crucial evidence, offering insights into the behavior of both authorized users and attackers.
Compliance and Auditing: Ensuring that audit logs capture failed login attempts is often a requirement in regulatory compliance, making this artifact important for audit trails.
Tools and Commands
Accessing and interpreting the Last Failed Login data can be done using various tools and techniques:
Windows Registry Editor (Regedit): Allows direct inspection of the SAM file to locate the failed login attempt data.
Forensic Analysis Tools: Software like EnCase, FTK, or Autopsy can parse the SAM database and present failed login attempts alongside other relevant data.
Scripting and Command Line: Scripts or commands that query the SAM database or utilize Windows event logs to extract failed login attempt information.
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