Windows Event ID 4729: A member was removed from a security-enabled global group
- Applicable version
- Windows Server 2008 and later where the audit subcategory is enabled
- Last reviewed
- 2026-07-22
Quick summary
Windows Security Event ID 4729 records removal of a member from a security-enabled global group.
Technical Metadata
| Event ID | 4729 |
|---|---|
| Provider | Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing |
| Channel | Security |
| Level | Information |
| MITRE ATT&CK | TA0040 Impact / T1531 Account Access Removal |
| Key fields to watch | Member Security ID / Account Name, Group Name / Group Domain / Group Security ID, Subject Account Name / Logon ID |
Trigger Scenarios
Microsoft documents 4729 as the global-group counterpart to 4733, with the same fields and recommendations except group type.
Key Fields
Member Security ID / Account Name
The user, group, or computer removed from the global security group.
Group Name / Group Domain / Group Security ID
The affected global group. Privileged groups such as Domain Admins require immediate validation.
Subject Account Name / Logon ID
The actor and hexadecimal logon session that performed the removal.
Threat Hunting Queries
SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4729
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, EventID, RenderedDescription
| order by TimeGenerated desc- Data source
- Microsoft Sentinel SecurityEvent table
- Assumptions
- The Windows Security Events connector populates SecurityEvent. Map raw XML fields to the documented fields.
index=wineventlog source="WinEventLog:Security" EventCode=4729
| table _time, host, EventCode, Message- Data source
- Splunk Windows Security event data
- Assumptions
- Index and parsed field names vary by deployment. Add the documented event-specific conditions after field validation.
dataset = microsoft_windows_raw
| filter edr_event_id = 4729- Data source
- Cortex XDR microsoft_windows_raw
- Assumptions
- The Windows Security channel is ingested. Inspect raw fields because parsed names vary.
title: Windows Security Event ID 4729
status: experimental
logsource:
product: windows
service: security
detection:
selection:
EventID: 4729
condition: selection
falsepositives:
- Legitimate administrative or system activity
level: informational- Data source
- Sigma Windows Security log source
- Assumptions
- This retrieves the event and is not a standalone malicious-behavior detection.
Documented Values and Codes
| Field | Value | Meaning | Security relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| MemberSid | SID | The security principal removed from the global group. | Interpret MemberSid with the full event and correlated activity; this value alone is not proof of compromise. Source |
| GroupName | Domain Admins | A high-impact privileged group example requiring immediate validation. | Interpret GroupName with the full event and correlated activity; this value alone is not proof of compromise. Source |
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
- T1531Account Access Removal
Detection Notes
Use threshold=1 for removals from privileged global groups such as Domain Admins, Enterprise Admins, or custom Tier 0 groups. Microsoft documents 4729 as the removal counterpart to 4728/4733; if Member Security ID is removed shortly after suspicious access, the actor may be hiding or changing persistence, which maps to T1531 Account Access Removal. Correlate Subject Logon ID with 4624/4688 and verify the identity-governance ticket.
Common False Positives
- Privileged access reviews and role cleanup legitimately remove members from groups.
- Automated identity governance can remove expired group memberships.
Related Events
Sample Log
EventID: 4729
Subject Account Name: admin.ops
Subject Logon ID: 0x27a79
Member Security ID: S-1-5-21-111-222-333-1109
Member Account Name: CN=svc-old,CN=Users,DC=corp,DC=local
Group Name: Domain Admins
Group Domain: CORPFrequently Asked Questions
What does Windows Event ID 4729 mean?
A member was removed from a security-enabled global group.
Does Event ID 4729 always indicate malicious activity?
No. Authorized access revocation and role changes generate it.
How should Event ID 4729 be investigated?
Validate the subject, member, group and change ticket and correlate the subject logon with process activity.
Sources
- 4729: A member was removed from a security-enabled global group
Microsoft · vendor
- Account Access Removal (T1531)
MITRE ATT&CK · attack
- XDR Collector datasets
Palo Alto Networks · vendor
- Sigma Rules Specification
SigmaHQ · detection rule