Reasons for Windows Domain Account Lockouts

Windows domain account lockouts commonly occur due to outdated credentials stored on various devices, misconfigured services using stale passwords, or authentication conflicts between local and domain accounts. In your case with the User Profile Wizard migration, the coincidence of local and domain account names combined with disabled local accounts could indeed trigger authentication failures that lead to unexpected lockout behavior.

Contents

• Main causes of Windows domain account lockouts
• Role of User Profile Wizard in causing lockouts
• Troubleshooting methodology for lockouts
• Specific recommendations for your situation
• Tools for analyzing lockouts
• Checking security policies and replication
• Conclusion and next steps

Main causes of Windows domain account lockouts

Windows domain account lockouts typically stem from several common sources that can be systematically identified and resolved:

Outdated credentials on devices and services
The most frequent cause of lockouts are passwords saved on various devices and services that haven’t been updated after a password change in Active Directory. This includes:

• Cached credentials in Credential Manager
• Saved passwords in browsers and applications
• Credentials used by system services and scheduled tasks
• Network folder connections with saved passwords

As noted by Netwrix, the first step in the troubleshooting process is to identify the source of authentication failures that caused the account lockout.

Domain controller replication issues
Untimely replication between domain controllers can cause one domain controller to use outdated data for authentication. This is especially critical in new domains where replication can be unstable.

Misconfigured lockout policies
Lockout policies set in Group Policy can conflict with settings at the domain controller level or local computers. In your case, lockout occurs after 1-3 failed attempts, while logs show 5 attempts, indicating possible policy inconsistencies.

System services and scheduled tasks
System services, scheduled jobs, and disabled terminal access sessions often cause account lockouts by using outdated credentials. As explained by Lepide, to resolve this issue, it’s recommended to clear the credential manager and restart the computer.

Role of User Profile Wizard in causing lockouts

Your assumption about the connection between User Profile Wizard and account lockouts has merit. This tool can indeed create specific authentication issues:

Conflict between local and domain accounts
When using User Profile Wizard to migrate local profiles to domain ones, conflicts can arise, especially when local and domain account names match. As indicated in the search results, local accounts remain unchanged when joining a computer to a domain and don’t conflict with identically named domain accounts.

Credential caching issues
User Profile Wizard may not completely clear all locally cached credentials, causing some applications or services to continue using local credentials instead of domain ones. This is particularly relevant in your situation where local accounts were disabled but their data may remain in system caches.

Incomplete profile migration
Profile migration tools sometimes don’t account for all authentication aspects, leaving traces of local credentials in various system components. This can cause authentication failures that are interpreted as brute force attempts.

As experience from the Reddit sysadmin community shows, saved passwords are often one of the most common causes of lockouts, and the problem is that they’re not always located on the user’s workstation.

Troubleshooting methodology for lockouts

For effective resolution of account lockout issues, a systematic approach is recommended:

Step 1: Enable and analyze security auditing
Advanced auditing needs to be configured to track authentication events. As pointed out by Serverspace, to answer the question about the cause of lockout, you need to configure a special audit policy to track relevant events.

Key events to monitor:

• 4740 - account lockout
• 4768 - TGT request
• 4771 - Kerberos credential reset
• 4625 - logon failure

Step 2: Identify the authentication source
Use specialized utilities to determine the exact source of failed login attempts. As noted by Netwrix, there are several account lockout management tools designed to assist in this process.

Step 3: Clear cached credentials
On all computers where issues occur, perform cleanup of:

• Credential Manager
• Browser password caches
• Network connection caches
• Form auto-fill caches

Step 4: Check services and scheduled tasks
Review all system services and scheduled tasks for the use of user accounts, especially on problematic computers.

Step 5: Update credentials in all connections
Ensure that all network connections, services, and applications use current domain credentials.

Specific recommendations for your situation

Given your specific situation with a new domain and the use of User Profile Wizard, here are concrete steps to resolve the issue:

Check for account name conflicts
Perform the following actions:

1. On problematic computers, check if local accounts exist with the same names as domain accounts
2. If such accounts exist, completely remove them (not just disable)
3. Restart computers after removing local accounts
4. Check if lockout problems have disappeared

As explained on ServerFault, remove (or disable) all local accounts on computers to ensure users are using their domain AD accounts.

Configure auditing for new domains
In a new domain, auditing may not be fully configured. It’s recommended to:

1. Enable advanced auditing on domain controllers
2. Configure authentication event auditing
3. Ensure that domain controller replication policy is working correctly

Check Exchange cloud impact
Although Exchange is not yet linked to AD, it may affect credential synchronization:

1. Ensure Exchange clients are not attempting to authenticate using local credentials
2. Check synchronization settings in cloud Exchange
3. Disable automatic local credential synchronization in Exchange if enabled

Updates and security fixes
Ensure all systems are updated:

1. Install the latest security updates for Windows Server and clients
2. Pay attention to KB5020276, released in October 2022, which changes the domain joining process and performs additional security checks before reusing existing computer accounts.

Tools for analyzing lockouts

For effective analysis of account lockouts, several specialized tools are available:

Free tools

• Lepide Free Tool - provides account lockout troubleshooting capabilities
• Microsoft Account Lockout Tools - a set of utilities from Microsoft for analyzing and resolving lockouts
• Event Log Explorer - for detailed event log analysis

Commercial solutions

• Netwrix Account Lockout Manager - specialized solution for managing lockouts
• Varonis AD Account Lockout Tools - comprehensive toolset for diagnosing lockouts

PowerShell scripts
Many administrators use PowerShell to automate lockout analysis. Example of a basic script for finding lockout sources:

# Search for recent account lockout events
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{
    LogName='Security'
    Id=4740
} | Select-Object TimeCreated, @{Name="TargetUser";Expression={$_.Properties[0].Value}} | 
Sort-Object TimeCreated -Descending | Select-Object -First 10

Checking security policies and replication

Account lockout policies
In your situation, it’s important to check:

1. Lockout policies at the domain level (Default Domain Policy)
2. Local policies on problematic computers
3. Group policies applied to users and computers

Domain controller replication
In a new domain, replication can be unstable. Check:

1. Replication status between domain controllers
2. Password data synchronization
3. Replication delays that can cause inconsistencies

As recommended by Serverspace, regularly update saved credentials in all services and devices, use descriptive account lockout policies, and implement monitoring tools. Also ensure that domain controller replication is working correctly to avoid outdated password data.

Conclusion and next steps

Key findings:

1. The account lockout issue in your new domain is likely related to conflicts between local and domain accounts after migration via User Profile Wizard
2. Main sources of lockouts are outdated credentials on devices, domain controller replication issues, and misconfigured services
3. A systematic troubleshooting approach should include enabling auditing, identifying the authentication source, and clearing cached credentials

Recommended next steps:

1. Start by removing local accounts with matching names on problematic computers
2. Configure advanced auditing to track authentication events
3. Use specialized utilities to accurately identify the lockout source
4. Update all systems and check for the latest security patches
5. Implement lockout monitoring to prevent future issues

Answers to related questions:

• Why does lockout occur after 10 minutes? This may be related to lockout policies or domain controller replication delays
• Why is the problem only affecting two users? These users likely have unique settings or applications that use outdated credentials
• How to prevent future lockouts? Implement a regular credential update policy and authentication event monitoring

A systematic approach to troubleshooting account lockouts will not only resolve the current issue but also prevent similar situations in the future.

Sources

1. How to Troubleshoot Account Lockouts in Active Directory (Step-by-Step Guide)
2. Troubleshoot account lockout in Microsoft Entra Domain Services - Microsoft Learn
3. Guide to Account Lockout Best Practices | Netwrix
4. What Are the Common Root Causes of Account Lockouts and How to Resolve Them? | Lepide
5. Account Lockout Policy Best Practices for Active Directory | Lepide
6. How to Troubleshoot Account Lockout Issues in Active Directory: Step-by-Step Guide
7. Active Directory Account Lockout: Tools and Diagnosis Guide | Varonis
8. r/sysadmin on Reddit: [Guide] Understanding and Troubleshooting AD Acct Lockouts
9. Troubleshooting Windows Domain Account Keeps Getting Locked | BDWebIT
10. Confusion over local user accounts and domain user accounts - Server Fault