TekStacks remembers the browsers you sign in from and emails you when a new one signs in. If it was not you, one click locks the intruder out.

Overview

Each browser that signs in to your account becomes a known browser. When a browser TekStacks has not seen before signs in, you get an email titled New sign in from an unknown browser with the time, browser, IP address and how it signed in. If that was you, there is nothing to do. If not, the email's Secure your account button shuts everything down.

Your very first sign in, and the sign in right after you sign up or accept an invitation, are never announced.

Requirements

• Your own TekStacks user. Every role gets these emails.

Steps: if a sign in was not you

1. In the New sign in from an unknown browser email, click Secure your account.
2. Read the page: it shows when, from which browser and from which address the sign in happened.
3. Click Secure my account.

Securing your account:

• signs out every session, including yours, and forgets every browser;
• removes an authenticator app or passkeys added since that sign in;
• puts your email back to the address the warning was sent to, if it was changed since;
• pauses signing in with a password until you reset it.

4. Open the email titled Your account is secured and click Reset password to choose a new password.

Note: The Secure your account link works once and expires in seven days. After that, reset your password from Forgot your password? on the sign in page.

Seeing and forgetting known browsers

1. Click your name at the top right, then Profile and security.
2. Under Known browsers, each browser shows its last IP address, when it was first seen and when it was last seen.
3. Click Forget beside a browser you no longer use. Its next sign in is treated as new and emailed to you.

Other security emails

You are also emailed when your password changes, your email changes, an authenticator app or passkey is added or removed, new recovery codes are made, or a recovery code is used. The email sent to your old address when your email changes carries a Secure your account link too: it puts your email back, signs out every session and sends a password reset to the old address.

Troubleshooting

"Password sign in paused after failed attempts." Someone entered the wrong password for your account several times from a browser TekStacks does not know. None of those attempts got in. Click Reset password in that email. Passkeys and browsers you have signed in from before still work.

"This link was already used." Your account was already secured with this link. Reset your password if you have not.

"This link is not valid." Check that you opened the whole link from the email.

FAQ

Why did I get a new sign in email for my own laptop? The browser's cookies were cleared, you used a private window, or you forgot that browser. Signing in again makes it known.