4742 Security log · Account Management medium severity low volume

Windows Event ID 4742 — A computer account was changed

A computer account's attributes were modified.

Why event 4742 matters

msDS-AllowedToActOnBehalfOfOtherIdentity attribute modification = RBCD attack setup. SamAccountName change = noPac exploitation. Delegation flag changes for lateral movement.

How to detect it

Alert: modification of msDS-AllowedToActOnBehalfOfOtherIdentity (monitor via 5136). Alert: SamAccountName changes on computer accounts.

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

MITRE ATT&CK mapping

Tactic Technique
Persistence Account Manipulation (T1098)

Detection queries

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

Sentinel / Defender KQL
SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4742   // A computer account was changed
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, SubjectUserName, TargetUserName, LogonType, IpAddress, WorkstationName
| sort by TimeGenerated desc
Splunk SPL
index=* sourcetype="WinEventLog:Security" EventCode=4742
| stats count earliest(_time) as first_seen latest(_time) as last_seen by ComputerName
| sort - count   `# A computer account was changed — add EventData fields: SubjectUserName, TargetUserName, LogonType, IpAddress`
Hunt event 4742 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 4722 A user account was enabled 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

Frequently asked questions

What is Windows Event ID 4742?

A computer account was changed. A computer account's attributes were modified.

Which log records event 4742?

Event 4742 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 4742?

Event 4742 is associated with: Account Manipulation (T1098).

How do you detect activity around event 4742?

Alert: modification of msDS-AllowedToActOnBehalfOfOtherIdentity (monitor via 5136). Alert: SamAccountName changes on computer accounts.