Solved Another reason I detest Microsoft accounts lately

Hazel123 · Dec 9, 2025

Passwords are so long and complicated now, surely they're safe? I don't have a computer that will do facial recognition. I don't mind typing a 4 digit pin in. But for logging into things, my saved passwords are quickest and easiest and auto-populated. Except when signing into microsoft! And pin won't work in safe mode for me either, so need the password option ticking.

I don't understand a pass-key - you never see it or know what it is do you? Not keen on that - like an invisible password.

I can only sign into one outlook.com email address on my computer now. If I try to sign into another one I get even more 7 step security things and then it fails. For my second outlook.com account I now have to use a private window - very annoying.

TraderGary · Dec 9, 2025

@Hazel123, here's the best concise definition of a passkey I've found:

A passkey is a secure, passwordless login credential that uses public‑key cryptography, stored on your device, to authenticate you with a website or app. It replaces traditional passwords by relying on biometrics or a device PIN, making sign‑ins faster, phishing‑resistant, and more secure.

KevTech · Dec 9, 2025

TraderGary said:
@Hazel123, here's the best concise definition of a passkey I've found:

A passkey is a secure, passwordless login credential that uses public‑key cryptography, stored on your device, to authenticate you with a website or app. It replaces traditional passwords by relying on biometrics or a device PIN, making sign‑ins faster, phishing‑resistant, and more secure.

Except now it has been found to have a weakness...your browser.

Malicious extensions/scripts can fake passkey registration and logins.

Source: Yes, Your Passkeys Can Be Hacked—New Attack ‘Breaks The Myth’

pseymour · Dec 9, 2025

Same thing can happen with a password. There's a difference between a weakness in passkeys and a weakness in the environment in which they're used. That's an environmental weakness.

Scannerman · Dec 10, 2025

Edwin said:
4 reasons I detest Microsoft accounts lately...

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Please tell that Passwordless eliminates all these gutdim nag banners!!!

I would be screwed from the git go. I don't use a cell phone. Used to be I could authenticate with voice mail. That's disappearing fast these days.

cheaterslick · Dec 10, 2025

FrancoDT said:
I'm like others and don't like NOT having that password as a fail safe.

Agree.

FrancoDT said:
Plus I don't like the device dependency of having to have my phone. What if you misplace your phone?

Yeah, having to use two devices instead of one to log in. A single point of failure. Not to mention all the creepy tracking that goes with it.

My life will not revolve around a phone all the time. I refuse to do that. One of the main reasons I don't use a smartphone.

FrancoDT said:
Now I'm all for using face recognition on my two PC's that support it although now in dark light conditions that doesn't always work and the pin has to be used. Also my older machine still will only load Safe Mode with a password. Pin still fails to load in Safe Mode on that machine as I just tried it.

I use a pin to log into the machine. I use a password manager to log into accounts.

Scannerman · Dec 10, 2025

Ghot said:
I detest an MS account, just because.

Thinking back to Win XP, I never got hacked and I didn't have...
Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, an MS Account, core isolation, none of that stuff.
All I had was a password.

Same goes for Windows 7.

Same. Just kept good online habits. Most of the people I know that have been hacked broke one of the cardinal security rules: They used their email pw for other accounts.

hsehestedt · Dec 10, 2025

FrancoDT said:
What if you misplace your phone?

How about this: What if you simply do not own a phone? I just deactivated my phone and now use only Google Voice. I literally have no need for a phone any longer, at least not anything beyond what Google Voice provides

pseymour · Dec 10, 2025

hsehestedt said:
How about this: What if you simply do not own a phone? I just deactivated my phone and now use only Google Voice. I literally have no need for a phone any longer, at least not anything beyond what Google Voice provides

It's buried in the options, but you can log into your MS account by plucking the string on your tin can phone.

FrancoDT · Dec 10, 2025

cheaterslick said:
Yeah, having to use two devices instead of one to log in.

Glad you mentioned this right here as it's pretty ridiculous you need a second expensive smart device now to access your data.

dacrone · Dec 10, 2025

TraderGary said:
The weakest link in security is the password.

Not so sure about this statement.

pseymour said:
There's a difference between a weakness in ~~passkeys~~ and a weakness in the environment in which they're used.

This is true for any method of security.

A good 20+ character password in conjunction with an auth app for MFA is “good ‘nuff”

^ and yes, if desired this can be done all via a password manager too.

Edwin · Dec 10, 2025

To be honest, I see it all as nothing more than a foolish trend..., much like AI is.

pseymour · Dec 10, 2025

dacrone said:
This is true for any method of security.

Yes, but I was addressing the notion that somehow a malicious extension means there’s a flaw in passkeys. It does not.

dacrone · Dec 10, 2025

pseymour said:
Yes, but I was addressing the notion that somehow a malicious extension means there’s a flaw in passkeys. It does not.

Oh I’m tracking. I was just stealing your phrasing lol

Hazel123 · Dec 10, 2025

My iphone keeps setting passkeys for various logins via phone. I have no idea what it's doing except it seems to take over and tells me to login with my passkey. It works - but I have no idea what the passkey is or where to find it and that brings out the control freak in me

. What really freaks me is when I go to a site on computer and windows tells me I have a passkey on my iphone I can use - what?! Can windows remotely read my phone? Tracking I guess. But I want my phone and computer separate. And agree - the idea of two devices to log in ............. although that is happening more and more for me because so many sites have google authenticator so I have to get a code. Gmail sends a notification to the youtube app - one time passcodes for various logins - and so on.

Are Apple and android going to start charging microsoft for authorising log ins?!

TairikuOkami · Dec 10, 2025

KevTech said:
Source: Yes, Your Passkeys Can Be Hacked—New Attack ‘Breaks The Myth’

Passkey is convenient, thus not secure, it is a pretty simple logic.
2FA requires user's interaction to by bypassed, passkey does not.

echo2446 · Dec 10, 2025

FrancoDT said:
Plus I don't like the device dependency of having to have my phone.

I think that's part of what passkeys are all about: the possession of a device or password manager increases authenticity. A password is one-factor authentication. A passkey PIN with a passkey device is 2FA. Passkeys in password managers, people argue both ways. I only store passkeys on devices, not in my password managers, in contrast to @TraderGary. You need to possess my device, along with another form of authentication, to use the passkeys on it to access my accounts.

I don't like getting rid of my MS password because of the failures I've observed with Microsoft authentication methods. On the other hand, the password by itself cannot access my account; there is always a second factor that MS requires, whether it be Microsoft Authenticator, TOTP, recovery codes, etc.

echo2446 · Dec 10, 2025

Hazel123 said:
I have no idea what it's doing except it seems to take over and tells me to login with my passkey

I think that's what people have been complaining about with passkeys: new technologies, confusing terminologies, non-uniform implementations, and learning curves. You are lucky to start using passkeys on Apple Keychain, a syncable passkey provider across Apple devices. As long as you keep control of your Apple account and stay in the Apple ecosystem, you’re most likely okay without having to learn about the intricacies. You would be more confused if you had started on the other two platforms: Windows and Android.

When you registered a passkey using your Apple device with Microsoft (for Microsoft account access), Microsoft might have kept information about the passkey provider, which would be Apple. It would be unsurprising (but creepy) that Microsoft knows you have a passkey to access your MS account on Apple devices.

cheaterslick · Dec 10, 2025

hsehestedt said:
How about this: What if you simply do not own a phone? I just deactivated my phone and now use only Google Voice. I literally have no need for a phone any longer, at least not anything beyond what Google Voice provides

Whatever you feel comfortable with. Me? I use a simple flip phone with voice & text. Leave a voice mail. If you don't, then your call isn't very important. I get enough spam as it is. And even texting is minimal. Mostly to receive the rare 2FA code or somebody wanting me to call them back.

I have GPS built into my car. Is it as good as google's? Nope. But it's adequate enough for my needs.

There are still ways around not owning a smartphone. I see enough addicted, drooling zombies out there as it is and I don't wanna be one of them.

XxXxX · Dec 10, 2025

i use a password and an authenticator in my browser
so my MS account is 2FA

if that is not enough for MS then i will just delete and shut the account down.

best of luck Steve ..

Solved Another reason I detest Microsoft accounts lately

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