Training throws message saying Sandbox access suspended

Frank Imbroto 45

When I try to complete exercise https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/modules/describe-core-architectural-components-of-azure/4-exercise-explore-learn-sandbox it will not allow me to create the sandbox and says "Sandbox access suspended". This is the message displayed under it.

"Your account or connection was flagged for unusual activity. Because of this we've suspended your access to the Learn sandbox. If you think we've made an error, you can submit an appeal to regain access."

This makes no sense. If I click appeal, it says "Hmm, something went wrong"

So far, I have found issues when I tried to use the Coursera course and gave up using that. Now I am using Microsoft's own learn.microsoft.com tutorials. I have done nothing wrong, and it appears Azure is a completely unfriendly product to learn. The hands-on stuff with the sandbox never works, and that is what I need. I am ready to give up and forget the Azure certification, as this is so frustrating. I am trying to learn Azure to get the AZ-900, and I have a small amount of time to do so. I cannot waste time waiting for support and might just have to find something else to train on. Can someone please help?

anand 225 Reputation points

2024-03-20T10:04:13.8233333+00:00

Hi Frank Imbroto,

I cannot access my lab. I get the error message "Lab access suspended" This can happen when our automated fraud system detects potential misuse of the platform, for example, banned code, unexpected actions outside of the lab activities, or high resource utilization. Once banned, all Microsoft Learn sandbox activations will be blocked. Use the Appeal button to submit a review request. Our fraud team will verify the lab activity and unblock the sandbox within 24-36 hours if the appeal is successful.Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Please review your account inbox for further details regarding the notifications explaining the reasons for the block on your sandbox access.

Your options are limited until you receive a response to your appeal. The duration of this process may differ based on the policies and procedures of the organization managing the sandbox.

If you’re encountering restricted sandbox access, you can refer to the troubleshooting steps below for assistance:

1. Firstly, please log out from all Microsoft accounts currently active in your browser. Subsequently, make an attempt to sign in using your Learn ID.

2. Alternatively, you can try accessing your Learn account by opening a new incognito or private browsing window.

From the end, we've verified that everything is functioning properly. Please find the attached

screenshot for your reference:

For additional insights into the Sandbox FAQ, feel free to visit the link provided:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/support/faq?pivots=sandbox

If the answer has been helpful in resolving the issue, please consider accepting the answer by clicking on the “Accept answer" button to help increase visibility of this question for other members of the Microsoft Q&A community.

If you are still facing issues, please let us know in the comments along with screenshots. We are glad to help you.

Thank you.
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Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-03-20T10:23:47.65+00:00

There is no email explaining why this happened. I cannot mark it resolved, as my account was locked out for no reason, and I do not know why it happened. No email was sent, as you mentioned above. If it happens again after they unlock it, I do not see why they would not, as I did nothing but visit the link, and it was locked. How am I supposed to know what happened and why they flagged me?
RNareddy 510 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-03-21T06:42:19.98+00:00

Hi Frank Imbroto,

We are really sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Can you please tell us if you are able to access the sandbox now?

If you are still facing the same issue, please send a screenshot (after concealing PII) so that we will be able to assist you.
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-03-21T12:33:39.1433333+00:00

Hello RNareddy,

I appreciate the help. No, it still does not work. When I go to the MS Learn tutorial using the link I posted above, it says I have an open appeal. This is so confusing as I did not receive any email about doing anything wrong to begin with. I do not even know what I am appealing for. I have not been using Azure just taking courses outside of Microsoft Learn. I did click the appeal button yesterday, as that was what it said I needed to do. Below is an image of what I see. I am not sure why the system flagged my account. It makes no sense. I have been using a variety of methods to study Azure for the az-900 test, and I wanted some hands-on stuff, and that's why I decided also to use Microsoft Learn but no sandbox access at this time. So I cannot do labs. Honestly, if I did something I was not supposed to do, I was never informed of it, and even if unlocked, I have no idea what it was or how to prevent this in the future. Who is supposed to be unlocking my account?

What might cause this? The issue is not with my system, but I believe the automated system automatically flagged my account. I am not sure who to contact or talk to anymore about this issue, and I do not have the money to create resources under my account, as it is just for learning purposes, as Microsoft intended the Sandbox for. Could someone please help me?
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-03-21T12:36:54.87+00:00

Hello RNareddy,

I appreciate the help. No, it still does not work. When I go to the MS Learn tutorial using the link I posted above, it says I have an open appeal. This is so confusing as I did not receive any email about doing anything wrong to begin with. I do not even know what I am appealing for. I have not been using Azure just taking courses outside of Microsoft Learn. I did click the appeal button yesterday, as that was what it said I needed to do. Below is an image of what I see. I am not sure why the system flagged my account. It makes no sense. I have been using various methods to study Azure for the az-900 test, and I wanted some hands-on stuff, and that's why I decided also to use Microsoft Learn but no sandbox access at this time. So I cannot do labs. Honestly, if I did something I was not supposed to do, I was never informed of it, and even if unlocked, I have no idea what it was or how to prevent this in the future. Who is supposed to be unlocking my account?

What might cause this? The issue is not with my system, but I believe the automated system automatically flagged my account. I am not sure who to contact or talk to anymore about this issue, and I do not have the money to create resources under my account, as it is just for learning purposes, as Microsoft intended.
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-03-21T13:33:44.0733333+00:00

I also wanted to add that I looked over the reasons why people are banned posted by Anand yesterday, and I did not do any of these.

"I cannot access my lab. I get the error message "Lab access suspended" This can happen when our automated fraud system detects potential misuse of the platform, for example, banned code, unexpected actions outside of the lab activities, or high resource utilization"

I wonder if the issue comes from originally using the Coursera course for AZ-900, which gave me a link to the Sandbox, and I was never able to get it to work. I posted a ticket some time ago for that here on the forum, and the response I got was to contact Coursera, and I did. Coursera told me to finish the course without the lab. Coursera said they contacted the vendor who posted the class, and that vendor was Microsoft. I think the Coursera labs I tried might have caused this issue to begin with. Maybe your system flagged it as I was using the system outside the Microsoft Learn labs. Anyway, that is just my thoughts on the problem.

The solution to my problem is simple. Please unlock my account, as I switched from the Coursera course to Microsoft Learn now to do labs.

On another note, anyone using the Coursera course, which I think has an outdated Sandbox link, will probably also have this issue. Microsoft should work with Coursera to fix this in the future. It is not an issue for me anymore as I am using Learn at this point, but this is causing me so many problems moving forward. I appreciate any help you can give me to regain my Sandbox privileges. Thanks.
RNareddy 510 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-03-21T17:08:59.3766667+00:00

Frank Imbroto, we have raised your issue internally and we will try to resolve this at the earliest.
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-03-21T17:28:09.4233333+00:00

Thank you. Can you email or update this when complete?
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-03-22T16:17:11.6+00:00

Hello RNareddy,

Any word on this? Again today, after going through the training for resource groups, the Learn module is asking me to create a Sandbox, and upon going to the lab, it still says I am locked out, and this is under review. I am missing the most important part of using Microsoft Learn: participating in hands-on labs is important. Isn't there anybody I can speak to to clear this situation up? This certification is important to me, and I cannot imagine what caused this action to be taken against my account. Unless, as I stated, it was the Coursera course that Microsoft should remove if it is outdated at this point. The post from Anand said it would be reviewed between 24 and 36 hours, and it has been that long since I put in the request to review my account and have it unlocked. I do not want to be a bother, but this is time-sensitive for me as I need to get AZ-900 and a few other certifications for Azure in a short period of time. Could you at least let me know or resend the email telling me what action might have caused this? It makes no sense. I am sorry to ramble on, but this is very important to get fixed so I can move forward with getting my certifications. Thanks.
Rabeya Akter 0 Reputation points

2024-03-24T08:27:46.9566667+00:00

Hello,

I am facing the same issue where it keeps showing that: "Your account or connection was flagged for unusual activity. Because of this, we've suspended your access to the Learn sandbox. If you think we've made an error, you can submit an appeal to regain access." I have tried with different Microsoft accounts, but each time it gets suspended. Additionally, I appealed to regain my access. In reply, they said: "We’ve reviewed your appeal. Your sandbox remains suspended due to a violation of our Terms of Use. We keep security checks like these in place to protect the quality and integrity of the service. Thanks for understanding."

Please assist me in solving this issue.
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-03-25T18:13:39.82+00:00

Hello RNareddy,

Could you please reply to the status of this issue? I'm doing another lab today, and there's again no sandbox for me to try this lab. As you can see, others have posted here about the same issue. So I am not alone. We are all trying to gain some sort of Certification for Azure, and I would think that would be a positive for Microsoft. Who is reviewing the status of my appeal? I do not understand what your role in this is? What does "Microsoft Vendor mean"?I would think you would be able to bring this to somebody who might understand at Microsoft. I have been using Microsft products since the days of Windows 95 and Visual Basic 5 and always paid for my fair share of the products I use. I only want answers or to understand why I was locked out. Not even so much as an email with the status of my appeal or the reason this happened. I am only seeking some help and guidance; this is the only way Microsoft says we can receive help. It even says that on the bottom of every Learn page. Please help us fix this problem and regain access. I can only speak for myself, but I did not break any of the Microsoft rules to begin with.

"Having an issue? We can help!

For issues related to this module, explore existing questions using the #azure training tag or Ask a question on Microsoft Q&A .

For issues related to Certifications and Exams, post on Credentials Support Forum or visit our Credentials Help."
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-03-25T18:32:15.4766667+00:00

I also forgot to add that I just tried to go to my account, and when I log in, I get the same error I received from the Coursera Course. I am not a tenant of Microsoft Learn. So this is the same problem I was asking about weeks ago and went unsolved. I was told there was a platform problem with Coursera. Well, it also seems to be a problem with Microsoft Learn. Here is a link to the original request that was never fixed from 2/12. For over a month, I have been in the same spot.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1530697/azure-sandbox-error-user-account-((emailhidden))-f
RNareddy 510 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-03-27T05:11:59.9066667+00:00

Hi Frank Imbroto,

We wish to engage with you offline for a much closer look, please send an email with subject line “Attn: v-rnareddy ” to AzCommunity[at]Microsoft[dot]com with the following details, I will follow-up with you.

Please specify the email ID through which you are logged-in to complete the exercise.

Thank you.
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-03-28T00:08:15.4233333+00:00

Thank you, I just sent you an email.
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-03-29T14:01:39.5033333+00:00

Hello RNareddy,

Have you had the opportunity to review the email I sent? Any idea what is going on?

Thanks
RNareddy 510 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-04-02T07:21:42.3666667+00:00

Hi Frank,

Can you please confirm if you are still facing the issue?
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-04-02T13:47:52.0466667+00:00

Yes, I emailed more details, but it still shows under review. That would not make sense as the original reply from Anand said to put it in review, and that was 3/20. I never received a response on that. So my problems continue. Thank you
John Wilkins 5 Reputation points

2024-04-03T04:55:43.61+00:00

I'm studying for the az-900 as well and when clicked on the sandbox and had to appeal as well. I've been waiting since last thursday well over 36 hours and no email or update.

"Your appeal has been received. Appeals are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, and may take several days to process. If your appeal is approved, you will regain access to sandboxes and other interactive learning resources.

For more information, please check the troubleshooting guidance page."

I even tried deleting my account and going through the course again.
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-04-03T13:35:27.8233333+00:00

Hi John,

I have been going back and forth on this, and it does not seem to be resolved. The worst part is that I have no idea why this happened in the first place. I never received emails that I was locked out, so I have no idea what might have caused it. It sounds like you are in the same boat.

I only hit the appeal button because I did not have an option. I have no idea what I am appealing for. I did not run any scripts or create any servers. I started having this problem using the Coursera class and thought using MS Learn would work. Unfortunately, I am in the same place. I am not sure why someone at Microsoft can't just review my email ID and resolve this. I will let you know if I find a resolution. Hopefully, it will get fixed if they see multiple people have this issue.
John Wilkins 5 Reputation points

2024-04-03T15:23:42.5666667+00:00

Frank I'm trying to figure out where this email that they claim was sent is.
I've checked my inbox and see nothing. Nothing comes up when I search appeal or microsoft
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-04-03T15:35:10.26+00:00

The same goes for me, John. I thought I deleted it, but I never found an email. Unfortunately, I think I will move past the labs for AZ-900, but I am sure I will need it for other certifications. I have been talking with Rohit by email. It's still not fixed for me. I am not sure what more I can do. If I find anything out, I will let you know.
John Wilkins 5 Reputation points

2024-04-03T16:28:20.73+00:00

How are they getting away with not responding to the ticket after multiple responses. They are intentionally ignoring to be able to close it.
Martin Leiva Minchiotti 35 Reputation points

2024-04-03T22:23:50.04+00:00

Hi Frank, I have also been waiting for this resolution for more than 2 weeks and waiting to complete a 30 day challenge. I also raised this separately but haven't had any response whatsoever. Where did you email support? I could not find any support email address. Thank you, hope we get this sorted.
Sebastian Wang 5 Reputation points

2024-04-04T17:23:42.2466667+00:00

I got the same issue on Apr 04, 2024.

I was teaching using two machine learning modules on Apr 03, 2024. There was no problem using the sandbox. However, I found myself banned the day after.

I received a response to my appeal about 5 minutes after submission: a rejection without

meaningful information. 2 minutes later, another email arrived stating the ticket was closed.

Email body:

"Hello,

We’ve reviewed your appeal. Your sandbox remains suspended due to a violation of our Terms of Use.

We keep security checks like these in place to protect the quality and integrity of the service.

Thanks for understanding.

Microsoft Learn Account Support"

On pages where the Sandbox could be activated, it still shows "Your appeal has been received."

Based on what I found here, the Microsoft team does not seem interested in solving the issue. I hope none of my students will get the same issue, as I can not do anything for them in this case.
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-04-08T21:20:10.04+00:00

Could someone from Microsoft give me an update on my problem? This has been happening for a month, and there is no word on the appeal, or what I did that started this problem. At this point, I think AI is flagging accounts for no reason.

Thanks
MJSpeller 25 Reputation points

2024-04-11T14:44:58.6433333+00:00

Hello,

I have experienced this issue during the AI-900 course. After following the instructions provided, I was flagged for potential misuse of the platform. I want to clarify that I have strictly adhered to the guidelines outlined in the labs.

It has now been approximately a week since I submitted an appeal, but with no resolution in sight, it's becoming increasingly challenging to continue my progress. If it is possible for someone to review this matter and provide an update, your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Moving forward, I believe Microsoft could enhance the user experience by establishing a more streamlined appeals process.

Thank you for your understanding, and I eagerly await a response.

Best regards,

Mark
RNareddy 510 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-04-11T15:45:10.1233333+00:00

We have conveyed your information to the internal team and we will try to resolve this at the earliest.
Paul Hannaford 5 Reputation points

2024-04-12T11:36:32.0366667+00:00

I'm in the same boat, I was delivering training yesterday (11th April) to new MSlearn users and over half my class had their account suspended within seconds of using their very first Sandbox (many created new accounts for the activities I was directing). We were using the link in the original post - Explore Azure Sandbox.

Both my long term MSlearn accounts (work and personal are both suspended awaiting appeal.) I've used these exercises on several years to 100s of learners and never had an issue, something is not quite right at the moment.
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-04-15T14:10:31.48+00:00

I am still waiting. It has been going on since March, and I have tried to resolve it, but there is still nothing. I hate to say it, but after my AZ-900, I cannot take any more Azure training because you cannot practice, and even worse, I feel I will be locked out in minutes. I am not sure why this is not being given the proper priority at this point. I wish someone from Microsoft would shed some light on the problem and what we all did or did not do that caused it.
Gareth Jamieson 0 Reputation points

2024-04-22T12:58:07.6333333+00:00

I have this exact same issue and it is impacting my ability to demonstrate how to use he sandbox to my students when teaching the az-900 not to mention it is a bad look that an MCT has this message on their account.
I did not do anything that would cause my account to be suspended as far as I am aware.

My appeal has been sitting for over a month now with no update. pleas can you look into this asap.
Frank Imbroto 45 Reputation points

2024-04-22T13:24:36.9466667+00:00

I guess I would like to know if anyone who posted besides myself got this resolved? It is still going on for me, and I would like to see if anyone was able to work this out successfully. This thread is growing, and I hope MS is working on this. I get replies once in a while from the MS folks on the ticket, but then they just go away with no resolution in sight.
Rob Hughes 5 Reputation points

2024-04-23T13:47:48.79+00:00

I don't have anything useful to add other than to add my name to the list of people affected by this issue. The time has come to renew my Azure Administrator certification so I'm reviewing the suggested material. I've come to the first lab and received the message about my account being blocked. I've submitted the appeal but based on the experience of others here I'm not hopeful of getting this resolved. Like others here I've no idea why I've been blocked and I've not knowingly fallen foul of any of the reasons for a block given.