Built-in administrator account count should be investigated
AD-USER-22InfoActive DirectoryUsers
Part of Active Directory · Active Directory · Users · All checks
Invoke-Maester -TestId AD-USER-22Overview
Section titled “Overview”Built-in and critical administrator-related accounts are among the most sensitive identities in Active Directory. Attackers frequently target these accounts because they provide durable, high-impact access.
- High-value targets: RID 500 accounts are especially attractive to attackers.
- Detection support: Helps validate whether renamed administrator accounts still exist.
- Tier-0 review: Critical system objects warrant extra monitoring and protection.
Control Type
Section titled “Control Type”Operational
Security Recommendation
Section titled “Security Recommendation”- Minimize use of built-in administrator accounts.
- Monitor all RID 500 activity closely.
- Apply strong credential protection and privileged access controls.
- Review critical system accounts for expected state and usage.
How the Test Works
Section titled “How the Test Works”This test counts user objects whose SID ends in -500 or are marked as isCriticalSystemObject.
Related Tests
Section titled “Related Tests”Test-MtAdUserBuiltInAdminEnabledDetailsTest-MtAdUserBuiltInAdminLastLogonDetailsTest-MtAdUserBuiltInAdminPasswordAgeDetails
Details
Section titled “Details”Every attribute of this check
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Test ID | AD-USER-22 |
| Severity | Info |
| Suite | Active Directory |
| Product | Active Directory |
| Feature | Users |
| Area | Privileged access |
| Resource type | User |
| MITRE ATT&CK | T1078.001 Default Accounts |
| PowerShell test | Test-MtAdUserBuiltInAdminCount |
| Services | ActiveDirectory |
| Permissions | ActiveDirectory:Ldap:user:ReadProperty |
Source
Section titled “Source”- Test:
tests/ad/user/Test.AD-USER-22.ps1 - Documentation:
tests/ad/user/Test.AD-USER-22.md