Why is your 2fa really 3fa?

Hello NickWoodward,

Thanks for the response.

Looks like we need to contact our Microsoft live support as we have limited tools to check your account. Our live support has advance tool to verify and check your account.

Regards,

Prince R

Microsoft Moderator

Hi Prince,

That's exactly my point: Your 2FA doesn't allow you to pick and choose the authentication method. I *have* to use both a text message *and* another email address to reset my password.

If I forget the password of Email 1 it will send a reset code to Email 2. But Email 2 requires 2FA to log in, including a code from Email 1 which I can't get because I'm trying to reset Email 1's password. That's a loop that will lock me out of my account.

Thanks,

Nick

Hello NickWoodward,

Thank you for the response

I understand your frustration with the 2FA process. However, the reason for requiring multiple factors of authentication is to ensure the security of your account. It is important to note that the 2FA process is designed to prevent unauthorized access to your account, even if someone has your password.

Regarding your specific issue, I suggest that you try to reset the password for Email 1 using a different method, such as answering security questions or using an alternate email address.

If you are still unable to reset your password, I recommend contacting our customer support team for further assistance.

Here are the steps:

• Open this link. Contact Us - Microsoft Support
• It will prompt you to sign in to your personal account where the Microsoft 365 subscription is associated
• After logging into your account. It will ask you to choose a product.
• Choose "Microsoft 365."
• Next, select "Get Home Assistance"
• You need to provide the problem you are having or you can type there.
• At the bottom of the page. Select the "Contact Support" option.
• Select "Microsoft 365 and Office"
• In the Category, you can choose Billing & Payment Updates
• It will ask you to choose a support option. It's up to you if you want to change the locale
• Next, select "Chat with a support agent in your web browser."
• It will automatically direct you to live support.

I hope you understand.

Regards,

Prince R
Microsoft Moderator

Needing a password, a code from an SMS, and a code from another email account feels like a pretty excessive default. It should have been optional imo. Eitherway, I think there's a pretty big flaw in your implementation

Consider this example:

• Email 1 is linked to Email 2.
• 2FA is turned on for both
• I forget my password for Email 1 so request a reset link.
• You ask me for a code from an SMS. Fine. I set that up.
• You then ask me for a code from Email 2, which is pretty annoying as this was automatically added as a factor in 2FA.

And here's the problem: When I log in to Email 2 to retrieve the 2FA code for Email 1 it asks me for an SMS code and a code from Email 1, the account I'm trying to reset the password for. Email 1 added Email 2 as a factor automatically, simply because the accounts were linked, and Email 2 added Email 1 as a factor for the same reason.

As far as I can see this is a circular process that you cannot complete if you're fully logged out of one account. The only reason this hasn't locked me out permanently is that I tend to be logged in to Email 1 on multiple devices. This is by chance.

I'm happy to be corrected, but this seems flawed.

Nick

Hello NickWoodward,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

It saddens me to hear that you're having trouble with the 2FA process. Microsoft's 2FA process is designed to provide an extra layer of security to your account, and it's important to keep it enabled to protect your account from unauthorized access.

Regarding the use of another Hotmail account as one of the 2FA options, this is a common practice and is done to ensure that you have a backup option in case you lose access to your primary 2FA method.

If you're having trouble with the sign-in flow, I recommend checking out our support documentation: Troubleshooting verification code issues - Microsoft Support

Let me know further concerns so I can help more!

Regards,

Prince R

Microsoft Moderator