Account management audits are crucial for ensuring the security and integrity of user accounts within an organization. These audits help in identifying unauthorized access, ensuring compliance with security policies, and maintaining overall system health. In the Windows environment, there are several tools and methods available to perform account management audits effectively.

This article will guide you through the process of auditing account management activities on a Windows system using built-in tools like Event Viewer, PowerShell, and Group Policy settings.

Examples:

1. Using Event Viewer: The Event Viewer is a built-in tool in Windows that allows you to view and analyze event logs. To audit account management activities, you need to enable auditing for these events.

   • Step 1: Enable Auditing via Group Policy

     1. Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) by typing gpmc.msc in the Run dialog (Win + R).
     2. Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Advanced Audit Policy Configuration -> Audit Policies -> Account Management.
     3. Enable the following policies:
        • Audit User Account Management
        • Audit Security Group Management
        • Audit Distribution Group Management
        • Audit Application Group Management
        • Audit Other Account Management Events

   • Step 2: View Events in Event Viewer

     1. Open Event Viewer by typing eventvwr.msc in the Run dialog (Win + R).
     2. Navigate to Windows Logs -> Security.
     3. Look for events with the following Event IDs:
        • 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.

2. Using PowerShell: PowerShell provides a powerful way to automate and script account management audits.

   • Example Script to List Recent Account Management Events:

     # Define the time frame for the audit
     $startTime = (Get-Date).AddDays(-7)
     $endTime = Get-Date
     
     # Define the event IDs related to account management
     $eventIDs = @(4720, 4722, 4723, 4724, 4725, 4726)
     
     # Get the events from the Security log
     $events = Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{
      LogName = 'Security'
      StartTime = $startTime
      EndTime = $endTime
      ID = $eventIDs
     }
     
     # Display the events
     $events | ForEach-Object {
      [PSCustomObject]@{
          TimeCreated = $_.TimeCreated
          EventID = $_.Id
          Message = $_.Message
      }
     } | Format-Table -AutoSize

3. Using Group Policy: Group Policy settings can be used to enforce account management policies across an organization.

   • Step 1: Open Group Policy Management Console (GPMC)

     1. Type gpmc.msc in the Run dialog (Win + R) to open the Group Policy Management Console.
     2. Navigate to the desired Group Policy Object (GPO) or create a new one.

   • Step 2: Configure Account Management Policies

     1. Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Audit Policy.
     2. Double-click on Audit account management and select Success and Failure to audit successful and failed account management activities.