Check Windows Account Login History - How To

Detecting Unauthorized Account Access

While generally sharing a computer presents no issues, concerns arise when you suspect unauthorized access to your accounts. Determining if someone has compromised your account requires specific steps to investigate.

Identifying Potential Compromises

The question of how to detect or verify a successful account breach is a common one. This issue was recently raised within the SuperUser community.

SuperUser is a segment of Stack Exchange, a network of collaboratively edited question and answer websites.

Checking for unusual activity is paramount. Look for logins from unfamiliar locations or devices.

Investigating Account Activity

• Review Login History: Most online services provide a log of recent login activity. Examine this log for any entries you don’t recognize.
• Check Security Settings: Verify that your password and security questions haven’t been altered.
• Look for Unexpected Changes: Scrutinize your account for any changes to your profile, email address, or linked accounts that you didn't authorize.

If you discover suspicious activity, immediately change your password. Enable two-factor authentication for an added layer of security.

Consider reviewing all connected applications and revoking access for any you don't recognize or no longer use.

Regularly monitoring your accounts and practicing strong password hygiene are crucial preventative measures.

Determining Account Login History in Windows

A SuperUser user, Erel Segal Halevi, has inquired about the possibility of detecting unauthorized logins to his Windows account.

Specifically, he wishes to ascertain if it's possible to identify instances where someone accessed his account during his absence.

The Core Question

Erel's primary concern revolves around Windows 7 and whether a method exists to determine if another user has logged in using his credentials.

He is particularly interested in knowing if someone with administrator privileges could have accessed his account, potentially to gain access to sensitive information like email.

Investigating Login Events

Determining if someone has logged into an account requires examining the Windows Event Logs.

These logs record a comprehensive history of system events, including user logins and logoffs.

Accessing the Event Viewer

To access the Event Logs, you need to open the Event Viewer.

This can be done by searching for "Event Viewer" in the Windows Start Menu.

Navigating to Relevant Logs

Within the Event Viewer, navigate to Windows Logs, then select Security.

The Security log contains detailed information about login attempts, including successful and failed logins.

Filtering for Specific Events

To narrow down the search, you can filter the Security log for specific event IDs related to user logins.

Event ID 4624 indicates a successful login, while Event ID 4625 signifies a failed login attempt.

Analyzing Login Details

When reviewing the event details, pay close attention to the Account Name, Account Domain, and Logon Type fields.

The Logon Type can provide clues about how the user logged in – for example, whether it was an interactive login, a network login, or a batch login.

Identifying Suspicious Activity

Look for login events that occurred during times when you were not using the computer.

Also, investigate any logins from unfamiliar sources or with unusual Logon Types.

Additional Considerations

It's important to note that the Security log can be quite large and may require significant time to analyze.

Regularly reviewing the logs can help you proactively identify and address potential security threats.

Determining User Login Activity in Windows

A SuperUser community member, Pathfinder, provides a method for identifying if someone has accessed your Windows account.

Recommended Procedure

The following steps outline how to review Windows security logs for login events. First, press the Windows key combined with the 'R' key to open the Run dialog box. Then, type "eventvwr.msc" and press Enter.

Within the Event Viewer window, navigate to and expand the 'Windows Logs' section. Select the 'Security' log to begin your investigation.

Analyzing the Security Log

The central portion of the window displays a list of events, categorized by Date and Time, Source, Event ID, and Task Category. The 'Task Category' provides a brief description of each event, such as 'Logon', 'Logoff', or 'Special Logon'.

These events are typically labeled as 'Audit Success'. Focus your attention on the 'Logon' category within the Task Category column.

You will observe numerous system logins, which represent normal system activity. It’s important to differentiate these from potentially unauthorized access.

Identifying Successful Logons

Specifically, look for Event ID 4624, which signifies a successful logon attempt.

Examine the 'General' tab located below the event list. Pay attention to the 'NEW ID' field, and disregard entries associated with "SYSTEM".

Events to Disregard

Certain log entries can generally be ignored, unless you suspect malicious activity.

Here's an example of what a typical login record might appear as in Windows 8.1, though the display may vary depending on your Windows version:

Windows 7 Security Log View

For reference, the following screenshot illustrates how the Security log appears in Windows 7, displaying a single user account.

Image courtesy of Akemi Iwaya.

Further discussion and contributions regarding this topic can be found in the original Stack Exchange thread. Feel free to share your insights or questions in the comments section.