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OSSEC / HIDS Rule 18602

OSSEC / HIDS rule catalog

  • Rule family: OSSEC / HIDS
  • Rule ID: 18602
  • Definition status: Present in current source
  • Alert message / subject: Windows System Event (7038): A service was unable to log on with the currently configured password MULTIPLE TIMES. Check the health and configurations of the service.
  • Rule level: 7
  • Definition checked: 2026-10-21
  • Configured frequency: $MS_FREQ
  • Timeframe (seconds): 240

Correlation values are configuration attributes; event-count behavior depends on the manager version and parent rules.

Interpretation and response

This event is recorded as “Windows System Event (7038): A service was unable to log on with the currently configured password MULTIPLE TIMES. Check the health and configurations of the service.” Review the originating log and the affected host or service to determine whether the activity was expected.

An OSSEC/HIDS event records or correlates activity. Blocking depends on the originating application and any separately configured Active Response policy; an alert alone does not prove that an attack was blocked.

Documentation

The following guidance was migrated from the historical wiki and reviewed against the rule definition. Legacy ASL product names and interface instructions refer to the versions documented then. Use the current metadata above and your installed configuration when interpreting thresholds, notification settings and response behavior.

Description

Composite rule identified multiple Windows System Event ID 7038. This indicates that a service was unable to log on with the currently configured password multiple times. Frequency 10 / 240s

What you should do

This could be an indicator of an attack. Identify if this application is actually being accessed by an invalid / unknown source, or if this is a condition caused by a password/account that has expired or changed.

Troubleshooting

False Positives

If an application has cached an invalid/expired password this event could be triggered.

Tuning Guidance

There is no guidance for tuning this rule, this is a generic Windows error and the rule should not be disabled.

Additional Information

Support

If you are unsure about how to respond to this alert, please contact Atomicorp support. We’re here to help you!

Source and revision

Migrated from HIDS_18602, wiki page 749, revision 6108 (20201021). Documentation review: 2026-10-21. An archived wiki status of Active is not a current deployment status.

For assistance, provide the rule ID, installed product and rule version, and a sanitized event to Atomicorp support .