Microsoft Authenticator Notifications

Question

I'm receiving constant push notifications that are not coming from my requests. Is there a way to tell which app/account these requests are coming from? It is only showing an email in the request and that email is used for a few of the different accounts so I'm unable to narrow down where it's coming from.

Answer 1

Hello @ShelbyFuqua-8632

I would like to confirm a few points to make sure that I address your concern correctly.

• Might I confirm that this request is unauthorized access attempting to access your account?
• About the email that you have mentioned, might I confirm whether others tried to access your email or if these requests come from different emails that are not yours?

If your case is related to the issue of unauthorized access to your Microsoft account that pushes notifications via Microsoft Authenticator, you can refer to the information below to deal with it.

This activity typically occurs when your email address or username becomes visible to automated scripts on the internet. When an unauthorized sign-in attempt is made using your email, the system automatically sends a notification to your Microsoft Authenticator app as part of its security design.

You need to do the right thing by consistently denying these requests. This helps protect your account and prevent unauthorized access.

I understand that you would like to trace the source of these attempts. However, as an independent advisor, I can only recommend steps to strengthen your account security and reduce repeated notifications based on your account type.

(From what I know, the system only logs completed sign-in attempts (successful or failed due to incorrect passwords or timeouts. As a result, these denied attempts may not appear on the Recent Activity page for tracing purposes: What is the recent activity page?)

1/ If you are using personal account:

You can set up an additional sign-in alias. These options help reduce unwanted sign-in attempts and provide an extra layer of protection.

-Sign in to your Microsoft account 

• Go to: https://account.live.com/names/manage

-Choose “Add email” 

• Start adding a new alias (do not remove anything yet). 

-Create a new email alias 

• Use a strong, hard-to-guess address (e.g., random string). 
• Set it as your primary login email 

-Make the new alias your main sign-in address. 

-Disable login for your old email 

• This is critical, it blocks attackers from using the old address. 

-Remove the old email alias if you no longer need it (Optional, last step)  

For your reference: Change the email address for your Microsoft account | Microsoft Support

I have attached screenshots to help you with the process:

2/ If you are using business account:

You can reach out to your IT Admin, who has global administrative rights in your organization’s tenant, to help strengthen your account security and prevent repeated notifications by referencing this thread.

Getting too many authentication attempts on my account - Microsoft Q&A

If you still need my assistance, please come back with screenshots or any additional details so I can review it again and see if there’s anything more I can help you with.  

Wishing you all the best!

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