normal mailbox credentials shared by multiple persons

Question

Hello,

I got an question about licensing.

I have a customer using normal office 365 mailbox (M365 E5 licensed) as "shared mailbox" sharing the credentials with multiple persons.

Beside the security issues that this may bring (MFA disabled) is there any license violation related to this practice?

I am interested about a Microsoft document/article if this may be a violation.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi Lucian,

Sharing a normal Office 365 mailbox among multiple users using a single set of credentials violates Microsoft’s licensing and security guidelines. Microsoft clearly states that licenses are assigned to individual users, and each user must have their own account. Using a single account for multiple users not only breaches licensing agreements but also presents significant security risks, such as disabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

Microsoft Documentation Reference:

• Microsoft 365 Licensing Terms: According to Microsoft’s licensing terms, licenses are per user, and credential sharing is explicitly discouraged.
• Shared Mailbox Licensing: Microsoft recommends using a shared mailbox for scenarios where multiple users need to access a mailbox, as this type of mailbox doesn’t require individual licenses.

Recommendation:

• Switch to using a proper shared mailbox setup where individual users have access permissions. This aligns with Microsoft’s licensing policy and maintains security integrity.

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Answer 2

Hi Lucian,

Sharing a normal Office 365 mailbox among multiple users using a single set of credentials violates Microsoft’s licensing and security guidelines. Microsoft clearly states that licenses are assigned to individual users, and each user must have their own account. Using a single account for multiple users not only breaches licensing agreements but also presents significant security risks, such as disabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

Microsoft Documentation Reference:

• Microsoft 365 Licensing Terms: According to Microsoft’s licensing terms, licenses are per user, and credential sharing is explicitly discouraged.
• Shared Mailbox Licensing: Microsoft recommends using a shared mailbox for scenarios where multiple users need to access a mailbox, as this type of mailbox doesn’t require individual licenses.

Recommendation:

• Switch to using a proper shared mailbox setup where individual users have access permissions. This aligns with Microsoft’s licensing policy and maintains security integrity.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly "Upvote" it. If you have additional question(s) about this answer, please click "Comment".

---

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