A member was added to a security-enabled local group
A member was added to a security-enabled local group (e.g., local Administrators, Remote Desktop Users).
Event ID 4732 is recorded when an account is added to a local security group on a Windows server or workstation, most notably the local `Administrators` group (`S-1-5-32-544`) or `Remote Desktop Users`. Attackers frequently add local or domain accounts to the local Administrators group on compromised endpoints to secure local persistence and administrative control.
Failure Reason / Root Cause:
Endpoint administrative support actions, domain group policy deployment, or malicious local privilege elevation.
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>4732</EventID>
<Version>0</Version>
<Level>0</Level>
<Task>12544</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8020000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2026-07-17T09:54:44.896Z" />
<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 member was added to a security-enabled local group -->
</EventData>
</Event>MITRE ATT&CK mapping
| ID | Technique | Tactic |
|---|---|---|
T1069.001 | Local Groups | Privilege Escalation |
T1098 | Account Manipulation | Persistence |
Recommended actions
- Alert immediately whenever an unexpected account is added to the local `Administrators` (`TargetSid: S-1-5-32-544`) group.
- Investigate the `SubjectUserName` responsible for adding members to privileged local groups on critical servers.
- Enforce Local Administrator Password Solution (Windows LAPS) and restrict manual group modifications via Group Policy.