Event Viewer Event ID 4798 signifies that a system has successfully enumerated a user's local group membership. This event is a common occurrence within Windows environments, typically indicating that the operating system is assessing or confirming a user's access rights and permissions on the local machine.
Understanding Event ID 4798
Event ID 4798 is recorded in the Security log of the Windows Event Viewer. It falls under the Audit Policy Change category within the advanced audit policy settings, specifically related to "Audit Security Group Management" or "User Account Management" in older contexts.
Here's a breakdown of what this event indicates:
- Enumeration of Local Group Membership: This is the core meaning. When this event is logged, it means the system has performed an inventory of all local groups the specified user account is a member of.
- Context of Occurrence: This action commonly takes place during key system activities:
- User Login: Every time a user logs into a system, the operating system needs to determine their effective permissions, which includes checking their local group memberships.
- Security Audit: The system might periodically perform security audits to ensure consistency and enforce policies, leading to the enumeration of user group memberships.
- Recorded Information: The event log entry for 4798 includes crucial details such as:
- The user account whose local group membership was enumerated.
- The process or service that initiated this enumeration.
- Timestamp of the event.
Key Details of Event ID 4798
To provide a clearer picture, here's a summary of the Event ID 4798:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Event ID | 4798 |
| Category | Audit Policy Change (or User Account Management / Security Group Management) |
| Subcategory | Audit Security Group Management |
| Log Name | Security |
| Description | Enumerated local group membership of a user. Indicates the system has checked or confirmed which local groups a user belongs to. |
| Trigger | User login, system security audit, or any process requiring local group membership information for a specific user. |
| Information | Relevant user account, process information, and the time of the enumeration are recorded. |
| Significance | Generally informational, but frequent or unexpected occurrences can be an indicator of underlying system activity or potential issues. |
When Does Event ID 4798 Occur?
Event ID 4798 is typically triggered by legitimate system operations. Common scenarios include:
- User Logon Sessions: When a user logs on locally or remotely (e.g., via Remote Desktop), the system needs to retrieve the user's security token, which includes their group memberships.
- Application Launches: Certain applications might query a user's group memberships to determine their permissions before launching or performing specific actions.
- Scheduled Tasks: Automated scripts or tasks that run under a specific user account might trigger this event if they need to evaluate user rights.
- Group Policy Updates: While not directly linked, processes related to applying Group Policy might implicitly cause a re-evaluation of user contexts, including group memberships.
- Security Software Scans: Antivirus or other security software might perform scans that involve enumerating user permissions.
Importance and Practical Insights
While Event ID 4798 is often informational and indicates normal system behavior, understanding its presence is crucial for:
- Security Auditing: It provides a record of when user group memberships were accessed, which can be valuable for security investigations if unauthorized access is suspected.
- Troubleshooting Performance Issues: In rare cases, an extremely high frequency of Event ID 4798 for a specific user or process might indicate a loop or an application repeatedly querying group memberships, potentially impacting system performance.
- Baseline Monitoring: Establishing a baseline for the normal frequency of this event can help identify anomalies. An unexpected surge in 4798 events for particular accounts or at unusual times could warrant further investigation.
For most users, seeing Event ID 4798 in the Security log is a normal part of Windows operation. However, if you notice an unusually high volume or suspect malicious activity, it's recommended to investigate the associated user and process details within the event log. For more detailed information on Windows security events, you can refer to official Microsoft documentation on Windows Security Auditing.
