Well-known security identifiers in Windows operating systems

This article was previously published under Q243330

SUMMARY

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A security identifier (SID) is a unique value of variable length that is used to identify a security principal or security group in Windows operating systems. Well-known SIDs are a group of SIDs that identify generic users or generic groups. Their values remain constant across all operating systems.

This information is useful for troubleshooting issues involving security. It is also useful for potential display problems that may be seen in the ACL editor. A SID may be displayed in the ACL editor instead of the user or group name.

MORE INFORMATION

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Well-known SIDs:

•	SID: S-1-0 Name: Null Authority Description: An identifier authority.
•	SID: S-1-0-0 Name: Nobody Description: No security principal.
•	SID: S-1-1 Name: World Authority Description: An identifier authority.
•	SID: S-1-1-0 Name: Everyone Description: A group that includes all users, even anonymous users and guests. Membership is controlled by the operating system. Note By default, the Everyone group no longer includes anonymous users on a computer that is running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).
•	SID: S-1-2 Name: Local Authority Description: An identifier authority.
•	SID: S-1-3 Name: Creator Authority Description: An identifier authority.
•	SID: S-1-3-0 Name: Creator Owner Description: A placeholder in an inheritable access control entry (ACE). When the ACE is inherited, the system replaces this SID with the SID for the object's creator.
•	SID: S-1-3-1 Name: Creator Group Description: A placeholder in an inheritable ACE. When the ACE is inherited, the system replaces this SID with the SID for the primary group of the object's creator. The primary group is used only by the POSIX subsystem.
•	SID: S-1-3-2 Name: Creator Owner Server Description: This SID is not used in Windows 2000.
•	SID: S-1-3-3 Name: Creator Group Server Description: This SID is not used in Windows 2000.
•	SID: S-1-4 Name: Non-unique Authority Description: An identifier authority.
•	SID: S-1-5 Name: NT Authority Description: An identifier authority.
•	SID: S-1-5-1 Name: Dialup Description: A group that includes all users who have logged on through a dial-up connection. Membership is controlled by the operating system.
•	SID: S-1-5-2 Name: Network Description: A group that includes all users that have logged on through a network connection. Membership is controlled by the operating system.
•	SID: S-1-5-3 Name: Batch Description: A group that includes all users that have logged on through a batch queue facility. Membership is controlled by the operating system.
•	SID: S-1-5-4 Name: Interactive Description: A group that includes all users that have logged on interactively. Membership is controlled by the operating system.
•	SID: S-1-5-5-X-Y Name: Logon Session Description: A logon session. The X and Y values for these SIDs are different for each session.
•	SID: S-1-5-6 Name: Service Description: A group that includes all security principals that have logged on as a service. Membership is controlled by the operating system.
•	SID: S-1-5-7 Name: Anonymous Description: A group that includes all users that have logged on anonymously. Membership is controlled by the operating system.
•	SID: S-1-5-8 Name: Proxy Description: This SID is not used in Windows 2000.
•	SID: S-1-5-9 Name: Enterprise Domain Controllers Description: A group that includes all domain controllers in a forest that uses an Active Directory directory service. Membership is controlled by the operating system.
•	SID: S-1-5-10 Name: Principal Self Description: A placeholder in an inheritable ACE on an account object or group object in Active Directory. When the ACE is inherited, the system replaces this SID with the SID for the security principal who holds the account.
•	SID: S-1-5-11 Name: Authenticated Users Description: A group that includes all users whose identities were authenticated when they logged on. Membership is controlled by the operating system.
•	SID: S-1-5-12 Name: Restricted Code Description: This SID is reserved for future use.
•	SID: S-1-5-13 Name: Terminal Server Users Description: A group that includes all users that have logged on to a Terminal Services server. Membership is controlled by the operating system.
•	SID: S-1-5-18 Name: Local System Description: A service account that is used by the operating system.
•	SID: S-1-5-19 Name: NT Authority Description: Local Service
•	SID: S-1-5-20 Name: NT Authority Description: Network Service
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-500 Name: Administrator Description: A user account for the system administrator. By default, it is the only user account that is given full control over the system.
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-501 Name: Guest Description: A user account for people who do not have individual accounts. This user account does not require a password. By default, the Guest account is disabled.
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-502 Name: KRBTGT Description: A service account that is used by the Key Distribution Center (KDC) service.
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-512 Name: Domain Admins Description: A global group whose members are authorized to administer the domain. By default, the Domain Admins group is a member of the Administrators group on all computers that have joined a domain, including the domain controllers. Domain Admins is the default owner of any object that is created by any member of the group.
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-513 Name: Domain Users Description: A global group that, by default, includes all user accounts in a domain. When you create a user account in a domain, it is added to this group by default.
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-514 Name: Domain Guests Description: A global group that, by default, has only one member, the domain's built-in Guest account.
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-515 Name: Domain Computers Description: A global group that includes all clients and servers that have joined the domain.
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-516 Name: Domain Controllers Description: A global group that includes all domain controllers in the domain. New domain controllers are added to this group by default.
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-517 Name: Cert Publishers Description: A global group that includes all computers that are running an enterprise certification authority. Cert Publishers are authorized to publish certificates for User objects in Active Directory.
•	SID: S-1-5-root domain-518 Name: Schema Admins Description: A universal group in a native-mode domain; a global group in a mixed-mode domain. The group is authorized to make schema changes in Active Directory. By default, the only member of the group is the Administrator account for the forest root domain.
•	SID: S-1-5-root domain-519 Name: Enterprise Admins Description: A universal group in a native-mode domain; a global group in a mixed-mode domain. The group is authorized to make forest-wide changes in Active Directory, such as adding child domains. By default, the only member of the group is the Administrator account for the forest root domain.
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-520 Name: Group Policy Creator Owners Description: A global group that is authorized to create new Group Policy objects in Active Directory. By default, the only member of the group is Administrator.
•	SID: S-1-5-domain-533 Name: RAS and IAS Servers Description: A domain local group. By default, this group has no members. Servers in this group have Read Account Restrictions and Read Logon Information access to User objects in the Active Directory domain local group. By default, this group has no members. Servers in this group have Read Account Restrictions and Read Logon Information access to User objects in Active Directory.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-544 Name: Administrators Description: A built-in group. After the initial installation of the operating system, the only member of the group is the Administrator account. When a computer joins a domain, the Domain Admins group is added to the Administrators group. When a server becomes a domain controller, the Enterprise Admins group also is added to the Administrators group.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-545 Name: Users Description: A built-in group. After the initial installation of the operating system, the only member is the Authenticated Users group. When a computer joins a domain, the Domain Users group is added to the Users group on the computer.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-546 Name: Guests Description: A built-in group. By default, the only member is the Guest account. The Guests group allows occasional or one-time users to log on with limited privileges to a computer's built-in Guest account.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-547 Name: Power Users Description: A built-in group. By default, the group has no members. Power users can create local users and groups; modify and delete accounts that they have created; and remove users from the Power Users, Users, and Guests groups. Power users also can install programs; create, manage, and delete local printers; and create and delete file shares.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-548 Name: Account Operators Description: A built-in group that exists only on domain controllers. By default, the group has no members. By default, Account Operators have permission to create, modify, and delete accounts for users, groups, and computers in all containers and organizational units of Active Directory except the Builtin container and the Domain Controllers OU. Account Operators do not have permission to modify the Administrators and Domain Admins groups, nor do they have permission to modify the accounts for members of those groups.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-549 Name: Server Operators Description: A built-in group that exists only on domain controllers. By default, the group has no members. Server Operators can log on to a server interactively; create and delete network shares; start and stop services; back up and restore files; format the hard disk of the computer; and shut down the computer.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-550 Name: Print Operators Description: A built-in group that exists only on domain controllers. By default, the only member is the Domain Users group. Print Operators can manage printers and document queues.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-551 Name: Backup Operators Description: A built-in group. By default, the group has no members. Backup Operators can back up and restore all files on a computer, regardless of the permissions that protect those files. Backup Operators also can log on to the computer and shut it down.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-552 Name: Replicators Description: A built-in group that is used by the File Replication service on domain controllers. By default, the group has no members. Do not add users to this group.

The following groups will show as SIDs until a Windows Server 2003 domain controller is made the primary domain controller (PDC) operations master role holder. (The "operations master" is also known as flexible single master operations or FSMO.) Additional new built-in groups that are created when a Windows Server 2003 domain controller is added to the domain are:

•	SID: S-1-5-32-554 Name: BUILTIN/Pre-Windows 2000 Compatible Access Description: An alias added by Windows 2000. A backward compatibility group which allows read access on all users and groups in the domain.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-555 Name: BUILTIN/Remote Desktop Users Description: An alias. Members in this group are granted the right to logon remotely.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-556 Name: BUILTIN/Network Configuration Operators Description: An alias. Members in this group can have some administrative privileges to manage configuration of networking features.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-557 Name: BUILTIN/Incoming Forest Trust Builders Description: An alias. Members of this group can create incoming, one-way trusts to this forest.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-557 Name: BUILTIN/Incoming Forest Trust Builders Description: An alias. Members of this group can create incoming, one-way trusts to this forest.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-558 Name: BUILTIN/Performance Monitor Users Description: An alias. Members of this group have remote access to monitor this computer.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-559 Name: BUILTIN/Performance Log Users Description: An alias. Members of this group have remote access to schedule logging of performance counters on this computer.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-560 Name: BUILTIN/Windows Authorization Access Group Description: An alias. Members of this group have access to the computed tokenGroupsGlobalAndUniversal attribute on User objects.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-561 Name: BUILTIN/Terminal Server License Servers Description: An alias. A group for Terminal Server License Servers. When Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 is installed, a new local group is created.
•	SID: S-1-5-32-562 Name: BUILTIN/Distributed COM Users Description: An alias. A group for COM to provide computerwide access controls that govern access to all call, activation, or launch requests on the computer.

APPLIES TO

•	Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
•	Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)
•	Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition (32-bit x86)
•	Microsoft Windows XP Professional
•	Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
•	Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
•	Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
•	Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition

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