Microsoft says this is intended behavior, as shown below:
Outlook for everyday email and calendarsClick the "Create free account" button.
Follow the on-screen account to create a Microsoft cloud account. I made one ending in "hotmail.com".
Don't create a passkey or use biometric authentication.
In Control Panel, click "User Accounts".
Click "User Accounts" again.
Click "Manage another account".
Click "Add a new user in PC settings".
Click "Add account".
In the "How will this person sign in?" box, enter the cloud account address, as shown below.
Click Next.
Click Finish.
In the "Accounts > Other Users" page, find the name of your new account, and click the down-arrow next to it, outlined in red in the image below.
Click "Change account type".
Change the account to an Administrator account.
Click "Remote desktop settings".
On the top right, click the slider to turn Remote Desktop On, as shown below.
Log in with your cloud account.
You will need to create a PIN.
Microsoft will try to trick you into purchasing services. Decline.
Once you complete the account creation process, you see a Windows desktop.
ipconfig
Sign out.
The procedure varies depending on your operating system.
This page may be helpful.
You see the desktop.
At the bottom of your Windows desktop, right-click the Start button and click "Shut down or sign out", "Sign out".
At the top right, click the little circle with your initials in it, outlined in red in the image below.
On the next page, click "Change password".
Follow the on-screen process to change your cloud password.
When I did it, I needed to add a second email address.
Sign in to your cloud account with your new password.
Log in with your Microsoft cloud account, using your new password. Your login is rejected.
Log in with your cloud account, but use your old cloud password.
You see the desktop.
Flag H 540.1: Connection (15 pts)
In your RDP session, open an Administrator Terminal window.Execute this command:
The flag is covered by a green rectangle in the image below.netstat -ban -p tcp
However, Tessa Anselm found a solution on 5-7-25. Log in locally to the Windows machine using your Microsoft cloud account, and click "I forgot my PIN", as shown below.
Then go through the process of changing your PIN. It's an involved process, but during this process the Windows machine authenticates with the cloud, requiring your new password, and the old password stops working for RDP.
You can see a complete writeup of her solution here.
After changing your PIN, log out.
Log in with your Microsoft cloud account, using your old password. Your login is rejected.
Log in with your cloud account, but use your new password.
You see the desktop.
Flag H 540.2: Account Type (15 pts)
In your RDP session, open a Terminal window.Execute this command:
The flag is covered by a green rectangle in the image below.whoami /all /fo csv
Posted 5-1-25
Solution added 5-8-25
