A handle to an object was requested
A process requested access rights to a file, registry key, kernel object, or service.
Event ID 4656 is recorded when an access handle is requested for a securable object with SACLs configured. It lists the exact Access Mask (`0x2` WriteData, `0x10000` Delete, `0x40` DeleteChild) requested by the process (`ProcessName`).
Failure Reason / Root Cause:
File server access, registry modification attempts, or attacker attempting to open handles to critical system files (`SAM`, `SYSTEM` hives).
Raw Event XML snippet
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing" Guid="{54849625-5478-4994-A5BA-3E3B0328C30D}" />
<EventID>4656</EventID>
<Version>0</Version>
<Level>0</Level>
<Task>12544</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8020000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2026-07-17T09:54:44.868Z" />
<EventRecordID>1048576</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="612" ThreadID="1024" />
<Channel>Security</Channel>
<Computer>DC01.enterprise.internal</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="SubjectUserSid">S-1-5-18</Data>
<Data Name="SubjectUserName">SYSTEM</Data>
<Data Name="SubjectDomainName">NT AUTHORITY</Data>
<Data Name="SubjectLogonId">0x3e7</Data>
<!-- Event telemetry fields specific to A handle to an object was requested -->
</EventData>
</Event>MITRE ATT&CK mapping
| ID | Technique | Tactic |
|---|---|---|
T1003.002 | OS Credential Dumping: Security Account Manager | Credential Access |
Recommended actions
- Monitor for Event 4656 requesting read/write access masks against `C:\Windows\System32\config\SAM` or `NTDS.dit`.