> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/analytics-alerts/alerts-by-name/single-account-excessively-locked-out.md).

# Single account excessively locked out

### Synopsis

| Field                | Value                                                                                                                         |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Activation Period    | 14 Days                                                                                                                       |
| Training Period      | 30 Days                                                                                                                       |
| Test Period          | 1 Hour                                                                                                                        |
| Deduplication Period | 1 Day                                                                                                                         |
| Required Data        | <p>Requires one of the following data sources:<br>Windows Event Collector OR XDR Agent with eXtended Threat Hunting (XTH)</p> |
| Detection Modules    | Identity Analytics                                                                                                            |
| ATT\&CK Tactic       | Credential Access (TA0006)                                                                                                    |
| ATT\&CK Technique    | Brute Force (T1110), Brute Force: Password Spraying (T1110.003)                                                               |
| Severity             | Informational                                                                                                                 |

### Description

A user has been locked out an unusually high number of times within a short timeframe. This could indicate an attempt to gain unauthorized access to the user's account.

### Attacker's Goals

An attacker may be attempting to gain unauthorized access to user accounts.

### Investigative actions

* Investigate the associated authentication attempts and login failures (e.g. 4740, 4625, 4776 events).
* Check if there were any successful authentications (event ID 4624).
* Determine if any programs have stored outdated credentials, causing account lockouts.
* Check recent user activity for unusual behavior, such as logins from unfamiliar locations or devices.
* Confirm whether the user's credentials have been compromised or leaked.
* Review if the account is enrolled in multifactor authentication (MFA).
* Find the computer responsible for the lockouts and verify if it exists on the domain.
* Monitor services that may be running with a user's credentials.

### Variations

<details>

<summary>Single suspicious account excessively locked out</summary>

**Synopsis**

| Field             | Value                                                           |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| ATT\&CK Tactic    | Credential Access (TA0006)                                      |
| ATT\&CK Technique | Brute Force (T1110), Brute Force: Password Spraying (T1110.003) |
| Severity          | Low                                                             |

**Description**

A user has been locked out an unusually high number of times within a short timeframe. This could indicate an attempt to gain unauthorized access to the user's account.

**Attacker's Goals**

An attacker may be attempting to gain unauthorized access to user accounts.

**Investigative actions**

* Investigate the associated authentication attempts and login failures (e.g. 4740, 4625, 4776 events).
* Check if there were any successful authentications (event ID 4624).
* Determine if any programs have stored outdated credentials, causing account lockouts.
* Check recent user activity for unusual behavior, such as logins from unfamiliar locations or devices.
* Confirm whether the user's credentials have been compromised or leaked.
* Review if the account is enrolled in multifactor authentication (MFA).
* Find the computer responsible for the lockouts and verify if it exists on the domain.
* Monitor services that may be running with a user's credentials.

</details>


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