Microsoft Advises Entra ID Administrators to Migrate Users to Passkeys Before SMS/Voice Retirement
Planned retirement of legacy authentication methods in February 2027 prompts migration guidance
Key Takeaways
- Microsoft advises migration to passkeys and phishing-resistant methods before February 2027.
- Retirement of SMS and voice authentication may cause sign-in disruptions for unmigrated users.
- No active exploitation reported; the advisory is preventive in nature.
- Migration can be performed via the Entra ID administration console without requiring a software patch.
Quick answers
- What happened?
- Microsoft has urged Entra ID administrators to migrate users to phishing-resistant authentication methods, such as passkeys, before the retirement of SMS and voice authentication scheduled for February 2027. Failure to migrate may result in sign-in disruptions for users.
- Which products are affected?
- Entra ID
- What should defenders do?
- Administrators should migrate users to passkeys or other FIDO2-compliant methods (e.g., security keys, Windows Hello) via the Entra ID administration console to prevent potential sign-in disruptions after the February 2027 retirement of SMS and voice authentication.
Microsoft has issued an advisory urging Entra ID administrators to migrate users to phishing-resistant authentication methods before the planned retirement of SMS and voice authentication in February 2027. The company recommends transitioning to passkeys and other FIDO2-compliant methods, such as security keys and Windows Hello, to avoid potential sign-in disruptions for users. The advisory notes that administrators who delay migration risk users losing access to Entra ID services once legacy methods are retired. Microsoft has not reported any active exploitation associated with this transition, which is described as a preventive measure to ensure continued service availability. The guidance aligns with Microsoft's lifecycle documentation for the retirement of SMS and voice authentication. No software patch is required; migration is performed through the Entra ID administration console.
Security Details
Microsoft has urged Entra ID administrators to migrate users to phishing-resistant authentication methods, such as passkeys, before the retirement of SMS and voice authentication scheduled for February 2027. No software patch is required; migration is performed through the Entra ID administration console.
Affected products
Entra ID
Mitigation
Administrators should migrate users to passkeys or other FIDO2-compliant methods (e.g., security keys, Windows Hello) via the Entra ID administration console to prevent potential sign-in disruptions after the February 2027 retirement of SMS and voice authentication.
Sources
BleepingComputer
Microsoft urges Entra ID admins to migrate users to passkeys
Oct 28, 2026 · 14:48
Original link
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