Background

Will like to touch on how to track login attempts to one’s email account.

Microsoft – Hotmail

In this post, we will cover Microsoft’s Hotmail.

 

Activity

Activity Log

To access your Hotmail Account Activity Log, please follow the directions listed below.

1. Launch a web browser
2. Access Activity Log
   • URL
     • Enter this URL, https://account.live.com/Activity ( Link )
   • GUI
     • Login to hotmail.com
     • Access your Account Manager page ( )
     • From the dropdown menu, please choose my profile option
     • Profile
       • Choosing the Profile option will take you to the Profile Screen – https://account.microsoft.com/profile/ ( Link )
       • Within the Profile Screen, using the top menu bar, please select the Security Option
     • Security
       • The Security page is launched –  https://account.microsoft.com/security?refd=account.microsoft.com  ( Link )
       • The security page offers a few options
         • Sign-In Activity
         • Password Security
         • Advanced Security Options
3. Sign-In Activity Page
   • The sign-in activity lists all recent sign-in attempts
   • Both successful and unsuccessful are displayed
   • The following details are listed
     • Device
     • Browser Name
     • IP Address
     • Country
     • Session Activity
       • Here are the broad categories
         • Successful sign-in
         • Incorrect password entered
         • Automatic Sync

Images

Image – Profile

Image – Security

Image – Security – Logs

Image – Security – Log #1

 

Image – Security – Log – Specific – Seychelles

Image – Security – Log – Specific – Dominican Republic

Observation

Couple of things to be aware of:-

1. Island Nations
   • Such as
     • Dominican Republic
     • Seychelles
   • Are exotic
   • But, if you don’t live there, are not currently vacationing there, then maybe someone from there should not be trying to connect to your email account
2. IP Address Spoofing
   • Just because an IP Address sources a country, please do not summarily conclude that the actual perpetrator is working from the source country
   • IP Addresses can be easily spoofed

 

Recommendation

Password Hygiene

1. Tighten up your password
   • Please use unique passwords with a bit of complexity on each of  your favored websites
     • It helps to protect you by ensuring that even if one of your passwords is breached, your accounts on other websites are not reciprocally breached
2. Though a bit more work, consider two-factor authentication
   • Two-Factor authentication ensures that even if your password is compromised, your attacker will yet have one more hurdle

 

Confessing

Discussing security is not easy for me.

The reasons are ample:-

1. Less Of
   • I know people who are far more technically savvy.
2. Adversaries
   • Discussions such as these empower and embolden hackers.
   • It motivates them to look for weak points.
3. Less is More
   • Disclosures such as these also open an inviting eye to the writer’s security practices and posture.
4. Others
   • Another side effect is that it encourages hackers to look for people with less consciousness and adverseness towards social engineering techniques.
   • And, thus exposes people who by circumstances are far more vulnerable.

 

In a nutshell; it is looking for heat when it is not yours in the first place.

It is not your parlance and even those who play in the field request and require anonymity.

 

Prayers

In closing prayers up.

Especially to the needy and those already facing enough headaches due to life hardships.