Forum Discussion
starman2heven
Dec 14, 2023Brass Contributor
time.windows.com wrong time on 5th December 2023
We are using time.windows.com as an external NTP sync for our PDC domain controller. On 5th Dec. 2023 at 4:57:28 AM it changed the time on the PDC domain controller to 12th May 2024. Then it switch back about 8 minutes later.
Was there any issue with the time.windows.com service on the 5th Dec. 2023?
Anyone else seen this?
- Krishna73037Brass ContributorThere may have been a glitch or anomaly in the Windows Time service on either the PDC or the time.windows.com server.
To investigate further, you can check the Windows Event Viewer logs on the PDC for events related to time synchronization around the specified time. Look for W32Time events that might provide more details about what happened during that period.
Additionally, consider checking the status of time.windows.com or try using an alternative reliable time source for synchronization to see if the issue persists. If this behavior continues or if it's critical for your environment, you might want to consider configuring multiple reliable time sources for redundancy.
Remember that for critical time-sensitive environments, especially in domains, it's often recommended to use multiple time sources for redundancy and to ensure accurate timekeeping.- starman2hevenBrass Contributor
I believe that I was a victim of Windows STS (Secure Time Seeding), all the symptoms are there.
It is obsoletely ridiculous that Microsoft has silently added this STS to the Windows time service.
https://arstechnica.com/security/2023/08/windows-feature-that-resets-system-clocks-based-on-random-data-is-wreaking-havoc/