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Troubleshooting combined security information registration

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The information in this article is meant to guide admins who are troubleshooting issues reported by users of the combined registration experience.

Audit logs

The events logged for combined registration are in the Authentication Methods service in the Microsoft Entra audit logs.

Microsoft Entra audit logs interface showing registration events

The following table lists all audit events generated by combined registration:

Activity Status Reason Description
User registered all required security info Success User registered all required security info. This event occurs when a user has successfully completed registration.
User registered all required security info Failure User canceled security info registration. This event occurs when a user cancels registration from interrupt mode.
User registered security info Success User registered method. This event occurs when a user registers an individual method. Method can be Authenticator app, Phone, Email, Security questions, App password, Alternate phone, and so on.
User reviewed security info Success User successfully reviewed security info. This event occurs when a user selects Looks good on the security info review page.
User reviewed security info Failure User failed to review security info. This event occurs when a user selects Looks good on the security info review page but something fails on the backend.
User deleted security info Success User deleted method. This event occurs when a user deletes an individual method. Method can be Authenticator app, Phone, Email, Security questions, App password, Alternate phone, and so on.
User deleted security info Failure User failed to delete method. This event occurs when a user tries to delete a method but the attempt fails for some reason. Method can be Authenticator app, Phone, Email, Security questions, App password, Alternate phone, and so on.
User changed default security info Success User changed the default security info for method. This event occurs when a user changes the default method. Method can be Authenticator app notification, A code from my authenticator app or token, Call +X XXXXXXXXXX, Text a code to +X XXXXXXXXX, and so on.
User changed default security info Failure User failed to change the default security info for method. This event occurs when a user tries to change the default method but the attempt fails for some reason. Method can be Authenticator app notification, A code from my authenticator app or token, Call +X XXXXXXXXXX, Text a code to +X XXXXXXXXX, and so on.

Troubleshooting interrupt mode

Symptom Troubleshooting steps
I'm not seeing the methods I expected to see. 1. Check if the user has a Microsoft Entra admin role. If yes, view the SSPR admin policy differences.
2. Determine whether the user is being interrupted because of multifactor authentication registration enforcement or SSPR registration enforcement. See the flowchart under "Combined registration modes" to determine which methods should be shown.
3. Determine how recently the multifactor authentication or SSPR policy was changed. If the change was recent, it might take some time for the updated policy to propagate.

Troubleshooting manage mode

Symptom Troubleshooting steps
I don't have the option to add a particular method. 1. Determine whether the method is enabled for multifactor authentication or for SSPR.
2. If the method is enabled, save the policies again and wait 1-2 hours before testing again.
3. If the method is enabled, ensure that the user hasn't already set up the maximum number of that method that they're allowed to set up.

How to roll back users

If you, as an admin, want to reset a user's multifactor authentication settings, you can use the PowerShell script provided in the next section. The script will clear the StrongAuthenticationMethods property for a user's mobile app and/or phone number. If you run this script for your users, they'll need to re-register for multifactor authentication if they need it. We recommend testing rollback with one or two users before rolling back all affected users.

The steps that follow will help you roll back a user or group of users.

Prerequisites

Important

Azure AD PowerShell is planned for deprecation on March 30, 2024. To learn more, read the deprecation update. We recommend migrating to Microsoft Graph PowerShell to interact with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). Microsoft Graph PowerShell allows access to all Microsoft Graph APIs and is available on PowerShell 7. For answers to common migration queries, see the Migration FAQ.

  1. Install the appropriate Azure AD PowerShell modules. In a PowerShell window, run these commands to install the modules:

    Install-Module -Name MSOnline
Import-Module MSOnline

  2. Save the list of affected user object IDs to your computer as a text file with one ID per line. Make note of the location of the file.

  3. Save the following script to your computer and make note of the location of the script:

    <# 
//********************************************************
//*                                                      *
//*   Copyright (C) Microsoft. All rights reserved.      *
//*                                                      *
//********************************************************
#>

param($path)

# Define Remediation Fn
function RemediateUser {

    param  
    (
        $ObjectId
    )

    $user = Get-MsolUser -ObjectId $ObjectId

    Write-Host "Checking if user is eligible for rollback: UPN: "  $user.UserPrincipalName  " ObjectId: "  $user.ObjectId -ForegroundColor Yellow

    $hasMfaRelyingParty = $false
    foreach($p in $user.StrongAuthenticationRequirements)
    {
        if ($p.RelyingParty -eq "*")
        {
            $hasMfaRelyingParty = $true
            Write-Host "User was enabled for per-user MFA." -ForegroundColor Yellow
        }
    }

    if ($user.StrongAuthenticationMethods.Count -gt 0 -and -not $hasMfaRelyingParty)
    {
        Write-Host $user.UserPrincipalName " is eligible for rollback" -ForegroundColor Yellow
        Write-Host "Rolling back user ..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
        Reset-MsolStrongAuthenticationMethodByUpn -UserPrincipalName $user.UserPrincipalName
        Write-Host "Successfully rolled back user " $user.UserPrincipalName -ForegroundColor Green
    }
    else
    {
        Write-Host $user.UserPrincipalName " is not eligible for rollback. No action required."
    }

    Write-Host ""
    Start-Sleep -Milliseconds 750
}

# Connect
Import-Module MSOnline
Connect-MsolService

foreach($line in Get-Content $path)
{
    RemediateUser -ObjectId $line
}

Rollback

In a PowerShell window, run the following command, providing the script and user file locations. Enter global administrator credentials when prompted. The script will output the outcome of each user update operation.

<script location> -path <user file location>

Next steps