Windows Event ID 4732: A member was added to a security-enabled local group
- Applicable version
- Windows Server 2008 R2 and later; Windows 7 and later
- Last reviewed
- 2026-07-21
Quick summary
Windows Security Event ID 4732 records a member being added to a security-enabled local group, including the local Administrators group.
Technical Metadata
| Event ID | 4732 |
|---|---|
| Provider | Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing |
| Channel | Security |
| Level | Information |
| Audit keyword | Audit Success |
| MITRE ATT&CK | TA0004 Privilege Escalation / T1098.007 Account Manipulation: Additional Local or Domain Groups |
| Key fields to watch | Member, Group, Subject |
Trigger Scenarios
Windows generates the event when local group membership changes on the audited system.
Key Fields
Member
The account or SID added to the group. Resolve SIDs when a name is unavailable.
Group
The local group receiving the member. Administrators and Remote Desktop Users are especially important.
Subject
The identity that made the change. Validate its administrative role and session context.
Threat Hunting Queries
SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4732
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, Account, EventData
| order by TimeGenerated desc- Data source
- Microsoft Sentinel SecurityEvent table
- Assumptions
- The Microsoft Sentinel Windows Security Events connector populates SecurityEvent. Apply the event-specific field and correlation guidance on this page after retrieving the base events.
index=wineventlog source="WinEventLog:Security" EventCode=4732
| table _time, host, user, EventCode, Message- Data source
- Splunk Windows Security event data
- Assumptions
- Index, source, and field aliases vary by Splunk deployment and Windows add-on version. Map provider fields from the raw event before implementing event-specific filtering or aggregation.
dataset = microsoft_windows_raw
| filter edr_event_id = 4732- Data source
- Cortex XDR microsoft_windows_raw
- Assumptions
- The relevant Windows event channel is ingested through a Cortex XDR Windows event collection path. Inspect raw provider fields because parsed field names vary by collection path and event provider.
title: Windows Event ID 4732
status: experimental
logsource:
product: windows
service: security
detection:
selection:
EventID: 4732
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 field conditions and correlations documented on this page in the destination SIEM.
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
- T1098.007Account Manipulation: Additional Local or Domain Groups
Detection Notes
T1098.007 Additional Local or Domain Groups is indicated when Group is Administrators or Remote Desktop Users and MemberSid resolves to a new, dormant, or foreign-domain account. An addition to Administrators followed by 4672 and a Type 10 4624 in a correlation window=60 minutes is a concrete local-admin access chain; retain MemberSid when MemberName is '-' because name resolution can fail.
Common False Positives
- Endpoint management and approved provisioning workflows can add local administrators.
- Break-glass and support processes may temporarily add accounts during incidents.
Related Events
Sample Log
Member: CORP\jsmith
Group: Administrators
Subject: CORP\admin.ops
Computer: WS-014Frequently Asked Questions
What does Windows Event ID 4732 mean?
Event ID 4732 records that a member was added to a security-enabled local group and identifies the actor, member SID, and group.
Which local groups make Event ID 4732 high priority?
Additions to Administrators, Remote Desktop Users, Backup Operators, and other locally privileged groups deserve focused review, with group names resolved in the monitored system's language and policy context.
Can Event ID 4732 show a member name as unresolved?
Yes. Microsoft notes that MemberName can be a hyphen when the SID cannot be resolved; retain MemberSid and resolve it against directory and local-account data.
Sources
- 4732: Microsoft Windows security auditing event reference
Microsoft · vendor
- Account Manipulation: Additional Local or Domain Groups (T1098.007)
MITRE ATT&CK · attack
- XDR Collector datasets
Palo Alto Networks · vendor
- Sigma Rules Specification
SigmaHQ · detection rule