Microsoft boosts online account security for Outlook and SkyDrive with activity monitoring

Microsoft has launched a host of new security features for its online services including Outlook, SkyDrive and Xbox, including backup codes and better activity monitoring.
Users will now be able to keep track of all security-related activity taking place on their accounts, including successful logins and incorrect password entries (below). The location of each login attempt is also detailed, along with the time, browser, IP address and operating system or device that carried out the activity. Users who have spotted suspicious activity can click a 'This wasn't me' button to take steps to re-secure their account.

Recovery codes are now also available for Microsoft's services. The one-use codes allow a user to log in if two-step verification - where a code is sent to an email address or mobile phone before a login is granted - fails.

Writing on the official Microsoft blog, group program manager for Microsoft Account Eric Doerr compared backup codes to having "a spare key to your house". Google has been using recovery codes for several months, and this puts Microsoft in line with its big rival.

Finally, Microsoft has allowed users to better control how they receive security notifications, giving them a choice of where messages regarding account activity end up.

Doerr explained that better security was a two-way street for the firm and its users, urging account holders to enable the security options on offer. "We think about protecting accounts as a partnership between us and you – the more you help us (with accurate account info, and updated security info), the more we can help you keep your stuff safe," he said. "You know best what's been happening with your account – so the more we give you tools to understand what's happening, the better we can work together to protect your account."

User error is not the only source of concern for Microsoft. External surveillance from government agencies has forced it to take action in the US, joining forces on Monday with fellow tech firms including Apple and Google, in signing a letter to the US president in a bid to put an end to PRISM-like operations.