What happens if there's an unusual sign-in to your account (2024)

FAQs

What does Microsoft account unusual sign-in activity mean? ›

The message "We have detected unusual activity on your Microsoft account" is a security measure implemented by Microsoft to protect your account from unauthorized access. It's triggered when there's a login attempt from a location or device that seems unusual based on your account's history.

You'll know it's legitimate if it's from the Microsoft account team at account-security-noreply@accountprotection.microsoft.com.

Examples of suspicious logins

A user doesn't follow their usual sign-in pattern, such as a signing in from an unusual location. There was a successful sign-in from a suspended user's account.

What is Unusual Activity? Suspicious transactions on a credit card that are out of the norm for a cardholder and could be an indication of fraud. If a credit card issuer views strange or out-of-pattern transactions made with a credit card, they may contact the cardholder or even pre-emptively shut down the account.

While Windows does feature an embedded antivirus, its alerts never display the message “Virus Alert from Microsoft.” If you see “Virus Alert from Microsoft” on your computer, you're either on a sketchy website that is trying to hack your device or you have a malware file on your computer that is issuing false pop-ups.

If you get an email about unusual activity on your Microsoft account, or if you're worried that someone else might have used your account, go to the Recent activity page.

We'll inform you of unusual activity through: A notification about an unusual sign-in or a new device on your account. A notification that there was a change to your username, password, or other security settings, and you didn't make the change. A notification about some other activity you don't recognize.

What is a ghost login? ›

Ghost users, commonly referred to as “ghost accounts,” are active accounts tied to former employees on a corporate network. Despite their departure from the company, these accounts remain accessible, presenting security and operational challenges that organizations must address.

These notifications can include security codes for two-step verification and account update information, such as password changes. Check the email address contains the domain @accountprotection.microsoft.com. You can also view the email's message headers to be sure the email is from Microsoft.

The Windows Defender Security Warning is a type of Phishing scam to lure people into infecting the device or stealing personal information.

If someone gets access to your Microsoft account, they may be able to use your email to reset the passwords for your other accounts, like banking and online shopping. You can change your password on the Security basics page at any time.

Authentic Microsoft Alert emails feature the Microsoft logo, and usually come from the @accountprotection.microsoft.com address.

If you get an email from Microsoft account team and the email address domain is @accountprotection.microsoft.com, it is safe to trust the message and open it. Microsoft uses this domain to send email notifications about your Microsoft account.

Why accounts are locked and disabled. Microsoft forbids the use of our services for: Malware: Sending intentionally unwanted or harmful code or software. Phishing: Stealing private information from others by tricking or spoofing them into providing it.

If you're constantly being prompted to log in to your Microsoft account there are a few ways this can be resolved: You can reset the Windows Credential Manager. For Word or Outlook you can sign out of your account once then it should resolve. For Outlook you can change the security settings.