Unusual user account unlock

Synopsis

Field	Value
Activation Period	14 Days
Training Period	30 Days
Test Period	N/A (single event)
Deduplication Period	1 Day
Required Data	Requires one of the following data sources: Windows Event Collector OR XDR Agent with eXtended Threat Hunting (XTH)
Detection Modules	Identity Analytics
ATT&CK Tactic	Initial Access (TA0001)
ATT&CK Technique	Valid Accounts (T1078)
Severity	Informational

Description

A user unlocked an account. This user does not usually unlock user accounts.

Attacker's Goals

An attacker may unlock a user account to gain unauthorized access.

Investigative actions

• Investigate the associated authentication attempts and login failures (e.g. 4625, 4776 events).
• Check if the user is authorized to unlock accounts.
• Confirm that the user unlock was expected.
• Monitor services that may be running with a user's credentials, resulting in lockouts.

Variations

Unusual sensitive user account unlock

Synopsis

Field	Value
ATT&CK Tactic	Initial Access (TA0001)
ATT&CK Technique	Valid Accounts (T1078)
Severity	Low

Description

A user unlocked a sensitive account. This user does not usually unlock user accounts.

Attacker's Goals

An attacker may unlock a user account to gain unauthorized access.

Investigative actions

• Investigate the associated authentication attempts and login failures (e.g. 4625, 4776 events).
• Check if the user is authorized to unlock accounts.
• Confirm that the user unlock was expected.
• Monitor services that may be running with a user's credentials, resulting in lockouts.