What you’re seeing
- Sign-in fails with error AADSTS50053, often worded as 'Your account is locked' or 'IdsLocked'.
- The message says the account was locked because of too many sign-in attempts, though the user typed the right password.
- The lock clears after a while, then returns within hours or the next day.
- Outlook, Teams and the phone apps keep prompting for a password before the lockout appears.
- Sign-in logs show failed attempts from countries or IP addresses the business doesn't operate in.
Common causes
Every environment is different, but these are the causes our engineers find most often:
- Attackers are running a password-spraying or brute-force attack against the account from elsewhere.
- An old phone, tablet or app still has the user's previous password saved and keeps retrying it.
- Microsoft Entra Smart Lockout temporarily blocks the account after repeated failed attempts.
- Legacy authentication protocols such as IMAP or SMTP AUTH give attackers an easy target.
- In hybrid setups, an on-premises Active Directory lockout policy also triggers when cloud attempts sync.
Why it matters
A locked account means a staff member can't read email, join Teams meetings or open files, sometimes repeatedly in a single week. More importantly, repeated lockouts from unknown locations are a sign that someone is trying to break in. If the password is weak or reused and multi-factor authentication isn't enforced, the next attempt could succeed, giving an attacker access to email, invoices and client data. Treating it as a mere annoyance is a common and costly mistake.
How AskTechGurus fixes it
Skip the trial and error. A certified engineer works on your actual system, finds the root cause, and fixes it properly.
Tell us what’s happening
Submit a ticket in about two minutes. Paste the error, describe what changed, and pick your tier. No charge to submit.
A certified engineer diagnoses it
A vetted, US-based systems engineer claims your ticket, usually within minutes during business hours, and investigates over a secure remote session you can watch and end at any time.
Fixed and verified with you
The engineer resolves the root cause and confirms with you that it’s working. You don’t just get a workaround, and you get a plain-English summary of what was wrong.
Pay only when it’s resolved
Fixed price from $99, invoiced only after you approve the fix. If it isn’t resolved, you don’t pay.
Frequently asked questions
Does AADSTS50053 mean we've been hacked?
Not necessarily, but it often means someone is trying. The sign-in logs show where the attempts come from, which tells you whether it's an old device or an outside attacker.
Will changing the password stop the lockouts?
It helps when an old device is the cause, but attackers can keep triggering lockouts even with a new password. Stronger sign-in protections are usually needed as well.
How does AskTechGurus help?
A certified US engineer reviews the sign-in activity and protections over a secure remote session and stops the cause, often in a single session. Pricing starts at $99 and you pay only when it's resolved.