Windows Event ID 4767: A user account was unlocked
- Applicable version
- Windows Server 2008 R2 and later; Windows 7 and later
- Last reviewed
- 2026-07-21
Quick summary
Windows Security Event ID 4767 records that a locked-out user account was unlocked, logging the Subject who performed the unlock and the Target Account that was unlocked.
Technical Metadata
| Event ID | 4767 |
|---|---|
| Provider | Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing |
| Channel | Security |
| Level | Information |
| Audit keyword | Audit Success |
| MITRE ATT&CK | TA0003 Persistence / T1098 Account Manipulation |
| Key fields to watch | Target Account\Account Name / Security ID, Subject\Account Name / Logon ID |
Trigger Scenarios
A domain admin or help-desk operator unlocks an account through the ADUC console, PowerShell, or a self-service portal after a lockout. In an attack context, an adversary who has triggered a lockout on their own account or a captured account may unlock it themselves using separately obtained admin credentials to restore operational access.
Key Fields
Target Account\Account Name / Security ID
The account that was unlocked. Unlocking a domain admin or service account outside a help-desk ticket is the primary T1098 Account Manipulation signal; compare with the 4740 lockout record for the same account to confirm the unlock follows the lockout immediately.
Subject\Account Name / Logon ID
The identity that performed the unlock. Per the Microsoft Security Monitoring Recommendation, every 4767 for a local account should be reviewed. For domain accounts, an unlock performed by an account that is not in the authorized help-desk group or that originates from an unusual workstation warrants investigation.
Threat Hunting Queries
SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4767
| project TimeGenerated, Computer, Account, EventData
| order by TimeGenerated desc- Data source
- Microsoft Sentinel SecurityEvent table
- Assumptions
- The 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=4767
| 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 adding event-specific filtering or aggregation.
dataset = microsoft_windows_raw
| filter edr_event_id = 4767- Data source
- Cortex XDR microsoft_windows_raw
- Assumptions
- The Windows Security channel is ingested into Cortex XDR. Inspect raw provider fields because parsed names vary by collection path.
title: Windows Security Event ID 4767
status: experimental
logsource:
product: windows
service: security
detection:
selection:
EventID: 4767
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
- T1098Account Manipulation
Detection Notes
T1098 Account Manipulation is supported when a 4740 lockout is followed by 4767 from a SubjectUserName outside the approved help-desk or identity workflow and the target later produces a 4624 Logon Type 10 from a new source. Event 4767 has no Status code, so use a local threshold=1 for privileged-account unlocks and correlate SubjectLogonId instead of inventing a result value.
Common False Positives
- Help-desk operations routinely unlock accounts after user-initiated lockouts from stale passwords on mobile devices or mapped drives.
- Automated self-service portals produce 4767 events with a service-account Subject when users reset their own passwords.
Related Events
Sample Log
Subject:
Security ID: CORP\attacker-admin
Account Name: attacker-admin
Account Domain: CORP
Logon ID: 0x7C3E10
Target Account:
Security ID: CORP\da-account
Account Name: da-account
Account Domain: CORPFrequently Asked Questions
What does Windows Event ID 4767 mean?
Event ID 4767 records that a locked Windows user account was unlocked and identifies the actor and target account.
Does 4767 contain a status or caller-computer field?
No. Its documented fields are identity and logon identifiers; use 4740 and authentication events for lockout origin and failure context.
Which account unlocks are suspicious?
Unexpected unlocks of privileged, dormant, or compromised accounts by an unapproved subject should be correlated with later successful logons.
Sources
- 4767: Microsoft Windows security auditing event reference
Microsoft · vendor
- Account Manipulation (T1098)
MITRE ATT&CK · attack
- XDR Collector datasets
Palo Alto Networks · vendor
- Sigma Rules Specification
SigmaHQ · detection rule