Recent Activity Tab Me But different location and different IP

Question

Recent Activity Tab Me But different location and different IP

Anonymous

Guys I look for recent activities and I saw this after changing few settings which also seen in screenshot.

Problem is im nowhere near USA and that's not my IP adress. I used Edge not IE. I'm really scared about it. I refreshed it 3 times and after 3 times it changed.

It kept the Session activity listed correctly but it changed nation and ip adress to my nation and adress. Also it said Microsoft Edge this time which is also correct. Is it kind of a bug or something else?

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Anonymous

Hi IphoriS,

There are a couple of reasons why you might have seen an inaccurate IP address, browser, and location for an older sign-in in your Microsoft Edge recent activity, even though it showed Microsoft Azure and then corrected itself after a refresh. Here are the most likely culprits:

Temporary Location Inconsistencies: Microsoft uses various methods to estimate your location based on your IP address and other factors. These methods aren't always perfect, and temporary inconsistencies can occur. Especially when dealing with cloud services like Microsoft Azure, which have a global infrastructure. Your initial sign-in might have been routed through an Azure server in a different location, causing the temporary mismatch.

IP Geolocation Database Issues: The databases used to map IP addresses to locations are not always up-to-date. This can sometimes lead to inaccurate location information being displayed. Refreshing a few times might have forced an update to the geolocation database, providing the correct information.

Temporary Glitches: Software glitches can happen occasionally. While not common, it's possible a temporary glitch caused the inaccurate information to be displayed in your recent activity. The refresh likely resolved the glitch, showing the correct details.

Here's what reinforces the idea it wasn't a security issue:

Corrected Itself: The fact that refreshing a few times displayed the correct information suggests it likely wasn't a sign of something malicious.

Older Sign-Ins Accurate: You mentioned older sign-ins showed your actual location, further indicating it was an isolated incident.

Microsoft Azure Connection: Microsoft Azure is a legitimate Microsoft service, so seeing it mentioned shouldn't necessarily be cause for alarm.

Since you've already enabled two-factor authentication, that's a great step towards improving your account security. If you're still concerned, you can also consider:

Checking for Malware: While unlikely in this case, running a scan with your antivirus software can provide peace of mind.

Changing Your Password: If you're worried about unauthorised access, you can change your Microsoft password to be extra cautious.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Give back to the Community. Help the next person who has this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Click Yes or No below. Best Regards, Furkaan

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6 additional answers

Answer 1

By the way to clarify, i used some website to check that foreign IP (the one in screenshot) and that showed Mircosoft Azure and informed me that it's ISP is connected to Microsoft Corporation

Here's the screenshot for that. City changes to Boydton btw on different sources. And I checked Microsoft's datacenter and found that it's in Boydton. Which made me believe that this thing is basically Microsoft and it was kind of a bug due to I changed my account settings.

Am I correct by my assumptions? I really want to know because there were 2 sign in attempts which concluded unsuccesful(not to worry I know) but I worry about seeing this kind of thing and showing it as my session.

I did not used VPN. Also I had checked my IP adress that time and it wasn't still correct with screenshot. So it was not temprorarily changed or such. It was statically same as before.

Is my assumptions are correct? Is there anything to worry about sir?

Answer 2

I checked the IP adress there, it showed something like Microsoft Azure. I thought it's connected to Microsoft itself. Plus, when I refreshed 3 times it's gone and correct one came. And the one on screenshot has correct info except for IP adress, browser and geography of course. I enabled 2 verificiation after that. But I still want to know why it showed like that. Was it bug or something? Because after 3 refresh it showed me my actual country. Not to mention older sign ins were showing my actual IP and nation too.

Answer 3

Hi IphoriS,

Thank you for reaching out. My name is Furkaan, a user just like you. I’d be happy to help you with your concerns. The information in your Outlook recent activity might be inaccurate due to a few reasons:

Dynamic IP addresses: Many ISPs assign dynamic IP addresses to their users, which means the IP address you see associated with your sign-in activity may not be your actual location. Your IP address can change frequently, so it's possible that the US IP address you saw was just assigned to you by your ISP at that time.

VPNs and Proxy Servers: If you are using a VPN or proxy server, your traffic will be routed through a server in another location. This can make it appear as if you are signing in from a different country.

Microsoft geolocation: Microsoft uses a variety of techniques to estimate the location of a sign-in, but these techniques are not always accurate.

In the image you sent, it looks like your current session activity is listed correctly, including the fact that you used Microsoft Edge and your actual IP address. The older activity might be inaccurate due to one of the reasons listed above.

Here are some things you can do to help ensure the security of your account:

Enable two-factor authentication: This will add an extra layer of security to your account by requiring a code from your phone in addition to your password to sign in.

Review your recent activity: Regularly checking your recent activity can help you spot any suspicious sign-ins.

Use a strong password: A strong password is at least 12 characters long and includes a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Be careful about phishing emails: Phishing emails are emails that try to trick you into clicking on a malicious link or entering your personal information. Don't click on any links or attachments in emails from unknown senders.

If you are still concerned about the activity in your recent activity list, you can contact Microsoft support for further assistance.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Give back to the Community. Help the next person who has this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Click Yes or No below. Best Regards, Furkaan

Answer 4

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