Windows Event ID 4713: Kerberos policy was changed
- Applicable version
- Windows Server 2008 and later
- Last reviewed
- 2026-07-22
Quick summary
Windows Security Event ID 4713 records a Kerberos policy change on a domain controller.
Technical Metadata
| Event ID | 4713 |
|---|---|
| Provider | Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing |
| Channel | Security |
| Level | Information |
| MITRE ATT&CK | TA0112 Defense Impairment / T1484.001 Domain or Tenant Policy Modification: Group Policy Modification |
| Key fields to watch | KerberosPolicyChange, KerOpts, Subject |
Trigger Scenarios
The event is generated only on domain controllers when Kerberos policy values are changed through domain policy.
Key Fields
KerberosPolicyChange
The field lists changed parameters as Parameter_Name: new_value (old_value). Microsoft documents KerMaxT, KerMaxR, KerMinT, KerProxy, and KerOpts.
KerOpts
Enforce user logon restrictions. Microsoft documents 0x80 as Enabled and 0x0 as Disabled; disabling it weakens Kerberos logon restriction enforcement.
Subject
The account that made the change. Validate whether it is an approved domain-policy administrator and whether the change was scheduled.
Threat Hunting Queries
SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4713
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, Account, EventData
| order by TimeGenerated desc- Data source
- Microsoft Sentinel SecurityEvent table
- Assumptions
- The Windows Security Events connector populates SecurityEvent. Map raw XML fields to the event-specific fields documented on this page.
index=wineventlog source="WinEventLog:Security" EventCode=4713
| table _time, host, user, EventCode, Message- Data source
- Splunk Windows Security event data
- Assumptions
- Index, source and field aliases vary by deployment. Apply event-specific field conditions after validating local extraction.
dataset = microsoft_windows_raw
| filter edr_event_id = 4713- Data source
- Cortex XDR microsoft_windows_raw
- Assumptions
- The applicable Windows event channel is ingested into Cortex XDR. Inspect raw provider fields because parsed names vary by collection path.
title: Windows Security Event ID 4713
status: experimental
logsource:
product: windows
service: security
detection:
selection:
EventID: 4713
condition: selection
falsepositives:
- Legitimate administrative or system activity
level: informational- Data source
- Sigma Windows Security log source
- Assumptions
- This rule retrieves the event and is not a standalone malicious-behavior detection. Add the documented conditions and correlations in the destination SIEM.
Documented Values and Codes
| Field | Value | Meaning | Security relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| KerOpts | 0x80 | Microsoft documents this value as Enforce user logon restrictions enabled. | Interpret KerOpts with the complete event and correlated activity; this value alone is not proof of compromise. Source |
| KerOpts | 0x0 | Microsoft documents this value as Enforce user logon restrictions disabled. | Interpret KerOpts with the complete event and correlated activity; this value alone is not proof of compromise. Source |
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
- T1484.001Domain or Tenant Policy Modification: Group Policy Modification
Detection Notes
Alert on unplanned 4713 where KerberosPolicyChange sets KerOpts to 0x0, because Microsoft documents 0x80 as Enforce user logon restrictions enabled and 0x0 as disabled. That is a concrete T1484.001 signal: a domain Kerberos policy change weakens centrally managed authentication behavior. Also review large KerMaxT or KerMaxR increases because Microsoft documents the conversion formulas for ticket and renewal lifetime; correlate the Subject Logon ID to 4624 and administrative change tickets.
Common False Positives
- Planned domain hardening, Kerberos lifetime tuning, or Group Policy maintenance can legitimately generate 4713.
- Domain controller promotion or baseline rebuilds may reapply Kerberos policy values.
Related Events
Sample Log
Subject: CORP\admin.ops
Logon ID: 0x3e7
KerberosPolicyChange: KerOpts: 0x0 (0x80); KerMaxT: 0x10c388d000 (0x861c46800);Frequently Asked Questions
What does Windows Event ID 4713 mean?
Kerberos policy for the domain was changed.
Does Event ID 4713 always indicate malicious activity?
No. Authorized domain policy administration can generate it.
How should Event ID 4713 be investigated?
Compare old and new policy values, identify the subject logon, and validate the responsible GPO and change record.
Sources
- 4713: Kerberos policy was changed
Microsoft · vendor
- Domain or Tenant Policy Modification: Group Policy Modification (T1484.001)
MITRE ATT&CK · attack
- XDR Collector datasets
Palo Alto Networks · vendor
- Sigma Rules Specification
SigmaHQ · detection rule