4701 Security log · Policy Change low severity low volume

Windows Event ID 4701 — A scheduled task was disabled

A scheduled task was disabled.

Why event 4701 matters

Disabling security-related scheduled tasks (AV update tasks, backup jobs, monitoring heartbeats) to impair defenses.

How to detect it

Alert: disabling of AV, backup, or monitoring tasks.

Log source
Security
Advanced Audit Policy — enable the 'Policy Change' subcategory (Success and/or Failure).
Fields to pivot on
SubjectUserNameTargetUserNameLogonTypeIpAddressWorkstationName

MITRE ATT&CK mapping

Tactic Technique
Defense Evasion Impair Defenses (T1562)

Detection queries

Starting points — adapt the log source, projected fields and thresholds for your environment.

Sentinel / Defender KQL
SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4701   // A scheduled task was disabled
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, SubjectUserName, TargetUserName, LogonType, IpAddress, WorkstationName
| sort by TimeGenerated desc
Splunk SPL
index=* sourcetype="WinEventLog:Security" EventCode=4701
| stats count earliest(_time) as first_seen latest(_time) as last_seen by ComputerName
| sort - count   `# A scheduled task was disabled — add EventData fields: SubjectUserName, TargetUserName, LogonType, IpAddress`
Hunt event 4701 in Sentinel/Defender →
Build a KQL query for this event in the KQL Query Builder.
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Open the interactive Windows Event ID lookup.

Related Policy Change events

4698 A scheduled task was created 4699 A scheduled task was deleted 4700 A scheduled task was enabled 4702 A scheduled task was updated 4703 A token right was adjusted 4704 A user right was assigned 4705 A user right was removed 4706 A new trust was created to a domain 4707 A trust to a domain was removed 4713 Kerberos policy was changed 4714 Encrypted data recovery policy was changed 4715 The audit policy (SACL) on an object was changed

Frequently asked questions

What is Windows Event ID 4701?

A scheduled task was disabled. A scheduled task was disabled.

Which log records event 4701?

Event 4701 is written to the Security channel by Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing. Advanced Audit Policy — enable the 'Policy Change' subcategory (Success and/or Failure).

What MITRE ATT&CK techniques map to event 4701?

Event 4701 is associated with: Impair Defenses (T1562).

How do you detect activity around event 4701?

Alert: disabling of AV, backup, or monitoring tasks.