MICROSOFT AUTHENTICATOR ENABLING NUMBER MATCHING SECURITY FEATURE BY DEFAULT ON MAY 8
John Limbach
February 16, 2023
Last Fall, Microsoft introduced support for number matching to its Authenticator app. The company announced on the Microsoft 365 admin center that the new security feature would be enabled by default for all Microsoft Authenticator users worldwide in May 2023.
With number matching enabled, the Microsoft Authenticator app requires users to type a number displayed on the screen to complete the authentication process. Microsoft notes that the feature helps to prevent accidental approvals and provides protection against Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) fatigue attacks.
Moreover, the additional context feature enables users to view extra information while approving a sign-in request in Microsoft Authenticator. These include the app’s name and the login location based on the device’s IP address. Microsoft says that these additional details help users to understand the validity of a sign-in request.
Additional Context & Number Matching
Currently, Microsoft allows IT admins to configure number matching for end users in their tenant. However, the company is making number matching a default experience in its Authenticator app on February 27, 2023. The admin controls to enable or disable the feature will be removed from the Azure AD admin center. Microsoft Authenticator will require users to do number matching otherwise their authentication will fail.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the permanent enabling of this security feature, please let us know.
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