I'm getting SQL Server Error: 18456, Severity: 14, State: 5

Question

I'm getting this error from my SQL Server log file summary. I know that a State 5 means invalid user Id but I haven't created anything that uses the userid 'root' that it errors on.

Does anyone know how I'm to find out what app or page this user id "root" is coming from?

Answer 1

have you ran sql profiler?

Answer 2

The line above the line with Error, Level, Severity contains the source machine that tried to connect.

For example, I generated failed login in my log and opened it from SSMS,
there are two adjacent lines (for column Message):

• Login failed for user 'sa'. Reason: Password did not match that for the login provided. [CLIENT: < local machine >]
• Error 18546, Severity, 14, State 8

Note: incorrect password for existing accounts is level 8.
Level 5 for nonexisting in SQL Server logins.

How many such errors do you have (is it bot generated)?
Is it from outside?