Microsoft accounts now let you flag suspicious activity before it's a problem
Internet account security is frequently a black box; you may not know that something's wrong until there's a notification email or a credit card bill. If you use a Microsoft account, though, you now have some preventative tools. A new security upgrade lets account holders see a history of recent sign-in attempts and settings changes. They can warn Microsoft if there's something amiss, such as foreign access or unexpected password resets. The refresh also provides more control over where notifications go, and fans of two-factor authentication can create recovery codes so that they're never completely locked out. Redmond's security improvements won't stop hackers by themselves, but the company will use account warnings to refine its protection -- any attempts to crack your account could help others avoid the same fate.
