4732 - Addition to Local Group

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/auditing/event-4732

Event ID 4732 in the Windows Security Event Log signifies the addition of a member to a security-enabled local group. This event is crucial for monitoring and auditing changes to group memberships, which can have significant implications for security and access control within a Windows environment. By tracking this event, security professionals can detect modifications to sensitive or privileged groups that could indicate legitimate administrative activities or potential security breaches, such as privilege escalation or unauthorized access.

Logged by the Security subsystem when a user or another security principal (like a computer or security group) is added to a security-enabled local group.

Category: Audit Security Group Management

Significance:

• Security Implications: Changes to local group memberships, especially additions to privileged groups like Administrators, Backup Operators, or Remote Desktop Users, can greatly impact the security posture of a system. Unauthorized additions to these groups may provide attackers with elevated privileges.

• Operational Integrity: Ensuring that group memberships are strictly controlled and reflect organizational policies is vital for maintaining operational security and compliance with access control policies.

Details Included in Event ID 4732

• Subject: The account that performed the group membership addition. It includes the following details:

  • 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 to the logon session of the account performing the addition.

• Member: Information about the user or group that was added to the local group. This includes:

  • Security ID: The SID of the added member.

  • Account Name: The name of the added member.

• Group: Details about the local group to which the member was added. This includes:

  • Security ID: The SID of the group.

  • Group Name: The name of the group.

  • Group Domain: The domain of the group.

How to Use Event ID 4732 for Security

Proactive Monitoring and Alerting: Configuring real-time alerts for Event ID 4732, especially for additions to high-privilege groups, can help in early detection of unauthorized access or changes.

Forensic Analysis: In the event of a security incident, analyzing Event ID 4732 entries can provide insights into how an attacker or insider might have escalated their privileges by adding themselves or another account to a privileged group.

Compliance Audits: Regular reviews of events related to group membership changes are essential for verifying compliance with internal security policies and regulatory requirements, ensuring that access rights are properly managed.

Best Practices for Monitoring Event ID 4732

• Enable Audit Policies: Ensure that "Audit Security Group Management" is enabled in Group Policy to capture events related to changes in security group memberships.

• Regular Reviews and Audits: Incorporate the examination of Event ID 4732 into routine security audits to identify and rectify unauthorized or suspicious group membership changes.

• Least Privilege Access Controls: Regularly review group memberships to ensure that they adhere to the principle of least privilege, granting users only the access necessary to perform their job functions.

• SIEM Integration: Utilize Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions to aggregate, correlate, and analyze Event ID 4732 alongside other security events for comprehensive monitoring and alerting on suspicious activities.

Limitations

Event ID 4732 alone does not indicate whether the addition to a group was authorized or malicious. It requires contextual analysis, correlation with other security events, and understanding the normal administrative practices of the organization to accurately assess the implications of the event.