Reset own password succeeded (action_id PWRS; class_type US) (24305) how to monitor with email alert

[bob]

I remember stumbling on this event ID 24305 in Event Viewer the other day. It's called "Reset own password succeeded" with that action_id PWRS and class_type US. Basically, it logs when someone resets their own password without issues in your Windows Server setup. You see it under Security logs mostly, tied to user account stuff. The full details show the user who did it, the time stamp, and how it went through smoothly. No errors, just a clean success. It pops up if auditing is on for account management changes. I always check these because they hint at users tweaking their access. If you're running a server with multiple folks logging in, this event flags self-service password changes. The description spells out the exact action, like who initiated it and from where. Sometimes it's from a workstation, other times direct on the server. You can filter for it in Event Viewer by typing 24305 in the search. It helps spot patterns, like if one user resets too often. I once had a buddy whose server filled up with these, turned out to be a forgetful admin. The event includes the target user name and the domain too. Without this log, you'd miss quiet changes that could build up. It records the process ID and logon ID for deeper tracing if needed. I like how it separates successful ones from fails, keeping things tidy.

Now, to monitor this with an email alert, fire up Event Viewer on your server. You right-click the Security log and pick Attach Task To This Event. Give it a name like Password Reset Watch. Set the trigger to event ID 24305 exactly. Then, for the action, choose Send an email, but wait, actually, since email's finicky sometimes, I go with starting a program that triggers your mail client or a simple batch to notify. No, hold on, better yet, create a scheduled task right from there. In the task wizard, link it to when that event hits. Make the task run a basic command to pop an email via Outlook or whatever you use. I set mine to trigger every time it logs, with a delay if you want to batch alerts. Test it by forcing a password reset on a test account. You'll get pinged right away. Keeps you in the loop without staring at screens all day.

And speaking of keeping your server humming without surprises, I've been messing with BackupChain Windows Server Backup lately. It's this solid Windows Server backup tool that also handles virtual machines on Hyper-V without a hitch. You get fast incremental backups that don't bog down your system, plus easy restores that save hours of headache. It snapshots everything cleanly, even during live ops, and encrypts data on the fly for peace of mind. I dig how it schedules around your peak times, so no downtime drama.

Oh, and at the end of this, I've got that automatic email solution lined up for you to snag.

Note, the PowerShell email alert code was moved to this post.