A Microsoft sign-in alert can be harmless, but it can also be the first visible sign that someone has your password or session access.
Prepared and reviewed by IT Life-Raft
UK-based IT support and cyber recovery guidance. Last reviewed September 2026.
Do not approve MFA prompts you did not start. If the alert looks real, check account activity from a known safe device.
If you've been hacked, start with our step-by-step recovery checklist. It explains what to secure first, how to protect your email and accounts, what evidence to keep, and what to do next.
Recovery checklistIf this is happening, preserve evidence and move carefully before deleting messages, wiping devices or changing settings from a suspect device.
If this is happening, preserve evidence and move carefully before deleting messages, wiping devices or changing settings from a suspect device.
If this is happening, preserve evidence and move carefully before deleting messages, wiping devices or changing settings from a suspect device.
If this is happening, preserve evidence and move carefully before deleting messages, wiping devices or changing settings from a suspect device.
Keep the order simple: contain the issue, recover control, then strengthen the account or device so the attacker cannot return.
Record what you changed and keep screenshots or reference numbers where possible.
Record what you changed and keep screenshots or reference numbers where possible.
Record what you changed and keep screenshots or reference numbers where possible.
Record what you changed and keep screenshots or reference numbers where possible.
Record what you changed and keep screenshots or reference numbers where possible.
For Microsoft 365 tenants, check Entra ID sign-in logs, impossible travel, MFA changes, conditional access and whether other users are seeing prompts.
If money, customer data, Microsoft 365, business email or a website is involved, get advice before wiping evidence or assuming the issue is closed.
These links help confirm the official recovery route. Use them alongside the checklist, especially when account recovery, fraud reporting or business data may be involved.
No, but it should be checked quickly because it can mean a password or session is being abused.
Treat the account as compromised. Change the password, revoke sessions and check recovery and mailbox settings.
It is safer to type the Microsoft address yourself or use a trusted bookmark.
Tell us what happened, what is affected and whether money, customer data or business systems may be at risk.