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LinceAzul
Dec 24, 2023Copper Contributor
Unsuccessful login attempts
Good morning folks!
I hope I can get some help in this forum. I tried the microsoft support chat, but it wasn't very helpful...
For a long time I've been getting logins from all over the world. I've seen my "Recent Activity" panel and mostly there are "unauthorised login" and failed "Exchange ActiveSync" which I don't know what this is tbh.
The issue is that I am getting these unsuccessful attempts every hour. I got a message from my "Microsoft Authenticator" app asking for the code, so I thought that eventually they guessed my password (kind of hard tbh, I'd like to think my password is very robust), so I changed it instantly.
I'll attach a picture to this post, so you'll know what I'm talking about.
The thing is, I am tired and I don't know how to prevent these annoying logins from happening again.
Any advice? (The successful attempts are mine, blurred for privacy reasons)
7 Replies
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- maxpCopper Contributor
Unfortunately changing the alias did not work for me. After changing the alias, I saw countless attacks on the new alias. As I am using a password less account, without the authenticator, I believe log in is not possible. If Microsoft cannot stop such attacks, who else can?
- johnk_9Copper ContributorThe reason for this is your email is exposed to the public. I have the same issue and I checked my account details and saw my email is accessed from different countries. I checked my 1-month activity and there were 84 pages of unsuccessful attempts. Yesterday I contacted Microsoft customer care and one told me the ultimate solution.
Solution
First, open your Outlook email account, and then under your photo, click "My Microsoft account". On the new page, click "Your info". Now look for the "Account info" section and click "Sign-in preferences". On the new page, see the "Account aliases" section and add an email address or phone number that nobody knows. Make sure the email address or phone number that you are adding is working one's. Remember, DO NOT remove your Outlook email address from here because it will permanently delete your Outlook email address forever. After adding the new email address or phone number, click "Make primary" as the new email address or phone number so that your outlook email address is not primary now. Now click "Change sign-in preferences" from the bottom. On the new page, uncheck your Outlook email address box and check the newly added email address box or phone number box that you want to use as your login email address or phone number. Now onwards, when the hacker tries to use your email address to log in, Microsoft says, that email address does not exist. Remember, you can still send and receive emails using your email address. Additionally, you can sign out from everywhere by visiting your account page. Click the "Security" tab, and look for "Manage how I sign in" under the "Account" section. This will sign out from every device that your Outlook email address is connected to. Thanks, Microsoft for this excellent work. - Anonymous
Check your Microsoft account - what devices do you have synced, and do you own all of them?
Is the login from the computer correct, what build is it?
Check if your device is free of viruses and malware.
Make sure you are using the latest version of your operating system and web browser.https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/troubleshooting-verification-code-issues-409090c4-92b5-42b9-8ae6-bcc97e62fc48
- LinceAzulCopper Contributor
Deleted
Yeah, I checked for strange devices synced. I formatted my computer (just in case I had any malware, which is strange btw, I like to believe I protect myself properly).
I am also using the latest versions of everything.
What I'm not so sure is about the next picture. The first row shows that I denied the login from the application (which is true). I think that that means that the guy guessed somehow the password, and then encountered the 2FA. Am I correct? Otherwise, how would he request the login from the application?
- Anonymous
Hide email address, it's in the screenshot, but I think you need to analyze the configuration - did you set an alias for the account?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-or-remove-an-email-alias-in-outlook-com-459b1989-356d-40fa-a689-8f285b13f1f2#:~:text=1%20Go%20to%20Manage%20how%20you%20sign%20in,the%20alias%20you%20no%20longer%20need.%20See%20More
Maybe it's worth removing the alias to see if the problem persists?