4722 Security log · Account Management medium severity low volume

Windows Event ID 4722 — A user account was enabled

A disabled account was re-enabled. SubjectUserName=enabler, TargetUserName=account enabled.

Why event 4722 matters

Attackers re-enable dormant/disabled accounts for persistence. Old disabled admin accounts retain group memberships and privileges — high-value targets.

How to detect it

Alert: accounts disabled >30 days re-enabled. Alert: built-in accounts (Guest, Administrator, DefaultAccount) enabled. Correlate with 4720 to detect newly-created-then-enabled accounts.

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

MITRE ATT&CK mapping

Tactic Technique
Persistence Valid Accounts (T1078)

Detection queries

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

Sentinel / Defender KQL
SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4722   // A user account was enabled
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, TargetUserName, SubjectUserName
| sort by TimeGenerated desc
Splunk SPL
index=* sourcetype="WinEventLog:Security" EventCode=4722
| stats count earliest(_time) as first_seen latest(_time) as last_seen by ComputerName
| sort - count   `# A user account was enabled — add EventData fields: TargetUserName, SubjectUserName`
Hunt event 4722 in Sentinel/Defender →
Build a KQL query for this event in the KQL Query Builder.
Search all event IDs →
Open the interactive Windows Event ID lookup.

Related Account Management events

4720 A user account was created 4723 An attempt was made to change an account's password 4724 An attempt was made to reset an account's password 4725 A user account was disabled 4726 A user account was deleted 4728 A member was added to a security-enabled global group 4729 A member was removed from a security-enabled global group 4730 A security-enabled global group was deleted 4731 A security-enabled local group was created 4732 A member was added to a security-enabled local group 4733 A member was removed from a security-enabled local group 4734 A security-enabled local group was deleted

Frequently asked questions

What is Windows Event ID 4722?

A user account was enabled. A disabled account was re-enabled. SubjectUserName=enabler, TargetUserName=account enabled.

Which log records event 4722?

Event 4722 is written to the Security channel by Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing. Advanced Audit Policy — enable the 'Account Management' subcategory (Success and/or Failure).

What MITRE ATT&CK techniques map to event 4722?

Event 4722 is associated with: Valid Accounts (T1078).

How do you detect activity around event 4722?

Alert: accounts disabled >30 days re-enabled. Alert: built-in accounts (Guest, Administrator, DefaultAccount) enabled. Correlate with 4720 to detect newly-created-then-enabled accounts.