4672 - Special Privileges

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/auditing/event-4672

Event ID 4672 is a critical event in the Windows Security Event Log that signifies the assignment of special privileges to a new logon session. This event is automatically logged when a user logs on with an account that is a member of one of the following security groups: Administrators, Backup Operators, Domain Admins, Schema Admins, Enterprise Admins, or other groups that confer special privileges. Monitoring Event ID 4672 is essential for security professionals to track the use of high-privilege accounts, which can indicate legitimate administrative activities or potentially malicious actions if such privileges are abused.

The event is generated by the Security subsystem as part of the "Audit Special Logon" category and occurs whenever a user logs on with special privileges.

Category: Audit Special Logon

Significance:

• Security Implications: The use of accounts with special privileges should be closely monitored, as these accounts have the potential to make significant changes to system configurations, access sensitive data, and perform other high-impact operations. Unauthorized use of such accounts could indicate an attempt to escalate privileges or move laterally within a network.

• Operational Integrity: Ensuring that only authorized users are granted special privileges is vital for maintaining the security and integrity of IT systems. Event ID 4672 helps in verifying that privileged access aligns with organizational policies.

Details Included in Event ID 4672

• Subject: Information about the user and session that was granted special privileges. This includes:

  • Security ID: The SID of the account.

  • Account Name: The name of the account.

  • Account Domain: The domain of the account.

  • Logon ID: A reference number to the logon session.

• Privileges: Lists the specific privileges assigned to the user or session. Common privileges include SeAssignPrimaryTokenPrivilege, SeBackupPrivilege, SeDebugPrivilege, SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege, among others.

How to Use Event ID 4672 for Security

Monitoring and Alerting: Security teams should configure alerts for Event ID 4672 to be informed of any logon sessions where special privileges are assigned. This is particularly important for detecting unexpected or unauthorized use of privileged accounts.

Forensic Analysis: In the context of an incident response, analyzing occurrences of Event ID 4672 can help in understanding how an attacker might have gained elevated privileges or which accounts were used to perform privileged actions during a breach.

Access Review and Compliance: Regularly reviewing events where special privileges are assigned supports efforts to ensure that only authorized personnel have privileged access and that such access is in compliance with least privilege principles and regulatory requirements.

Best Practices for Monitoring Event ID 4672

• Enable Audit Policies: Ensure that audit policies for "Audit Special Logon" are enabled to capture Event ID 4672 in the Security Event Log.

• Privileged Account Management (PAM): Implement a PAM solution to manage, monitor, and audit the use of privileged accounts, reducing the risk associated with high-privilege access.

• Least Privilege Principle: Regularly review and adjust group memberships and privileges to ensure that users are only granted the privileges necessary to perform their job functions.

• Anomaly Detection: Utilize SIEM systems to detect anomalies in the use of privileged accounts, such as logons at unusual times or from unexpected locations, which could indicate malicious activity.

Limitations

While Event ID 4672 is valuable for indicating the use of special privileges, it does not by itself indicate malicious activity. Legitimate administrative tasks often require such privileges. Therefore, this event should be analyzed in conjunction with other indicators of compromise and the context of the user’s expected behavior and job responsibilities.