Microsoft screws up security notifications in Outlook
Suspicious notification emails have suddenly arrived in Microsoft Outlook users’ inboxes, but it turns out that it’s all Microsoft’s fault.
Several Outlook customers have flocked to Microsoft’s support forums, as well as several newspapers this week to complain about “strange sign-in behavior” on their email accounts.
They were receiving security emails, which are normally sent when a user signs in to an email account from a previously unknown location, device, or IP address. It is common practice to notify users if an unauthorized individual has gained access to their account, and most online services now provide this level of security.
Late to the party
Some customers changed their email passwords as soon as they were told, and others have two-factor authentication enabled on their accounts. However, Teams parent company continued to send the warning letters, leading some to believe it was a setup issue on Microsoft’s end. Many customers were unhappy with the situation after receiving emails and having to reset their passwords several times.
It was ultimately a Microsoft misconfiguration, as the company provided a brief response to a news website a few days late. Microsoft is claiming to have to work on fixing the configuration problem that was causing certain customers to get these messages in error.
People were understandably concerned since Microsoft took so long to respond with an explanation. An IT expert warned the magazine that threat actors may be recycling outdated passwords from multiple disclosure lists.
Others encouraged Microsoft to respond immediately and at the very least verify that there had been no breach since users were becoming worried.
Many users are confused about why a Microsoft-owned IP is synchronizing to the Microsoft account. It is also questioned why it’s labeled as suspicious and why it was previously able to sync successfully. Microsoft users are not satisfied with how the software giant handled this situation without providing them any answers and clarifications.