Recovery of backup data protection master key attempted
An attempt was made to recover a DPAPI backup protection master key.
Event ID 4693 logs when an entity requests domain backup master key recovery (`DPAPI Backup Master Key`). Domain Controllers store private keys that can decrypt DPAPI-protected data across any domain user account. Threat actors with domain admin privileges request this key (`DPAPI Domain Backup Key dumping`) to decrypt stored browser passwords, scheduled task credentials, and Wi-Fi secrets across the entire domain offline.
Failure Reason / Root Cause:
DPAPI backup master key retrieval request executed against Domain Controller.
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>4693</EventID>
<Version>0</Version>
<Level>0</Level>
<Task>12544</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8020000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2026-07-17T09:54:44.878Z" />
<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 Recovery of backup data protection master key attempted -->
</EventData>
</Event>MITRE ATT&CK mapping
| ID | Technique | Tactic |
|---|---|---|
T1555 | Credentials from Password Stores | Credential Access |
Recommended actions
- Alert immediately if `4693` is triggered by non-standard management accounts or from unfamiliar endpoints.
- Correlate with potential DPAPI extraction tools (`Mimikatz dpapi::masterkey` / `SharpDPAPI`).