STIGUI
V-205909CAT II — Medium severitySV-205909r991589_rule

Windows Server 2019 built-in administrator account must be renamed.

Rule version WN19-SO-000030 · STIG v3 · 2026-02-12

Discussion

The built-in administrator account is a well-known account subject to attack. Renaming this account to an unidentified name improves the protection of this account and the system.

Check

Verify the effective setting in Local Group Policy Editor.

Run "gpedit.msc".

Navigate to Local Computer Policy >> Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> Security Options.

If the value for "Accounts: Rename administrator account" is not set to a value other than "Administrator", this is a finding.

For server core installations, run the following command:

Secedit /Export /Areas SecurityPolicy /CFG C:\Path\FileName.Txt

If "NewAdministratorName" is not something other than "Administrator" in the file, this is a finding.

Fix

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> Security Options >> "Accounts: Rename administrator account" to a name other than "Administrator".

Identifiers

Group ID
V-205909
Group title
SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227
Rule ID
SV-205909r991589_rule
Check ID
C-6174r356089_chk
Fix ID
F-6174r356090_fix