Because connected or linked accounts are at high risk for hacking, Microsoft (News - Alert) will soon limit Outlook.com’s multiple accounts.

Linked accounts were started in 2006 so it would be easier to switch between different accounts, each with their own e-mail address.  Users could manage multiple accounts after signing in to just one of them via a single login and password.

Soon, the alias system will be the only way to handle multiple accounts. Microsoft explains that an alias is an additional e-mail address that uses the same inbox, contact list, and account settings as the primary alias. Users can create up to 10 new aliases a year, according to news reports.

Unlinking accounts will start in late July.

“Over the next couple months, we will stop supporting linked accounts and instead help people move to a more robust and secure way of managing multiple e-mail addresses: aliases,” Eric Doerr, Group Program manager, Microsoft, explained in the Outlook blog.

“With linked accounts, you can sign in to Outlook.com on the Web and then switch to any other linked account without entering a password,” Doerr added. “It's a handy feature. Unfortunately, this same feature benefits the bad guys, too. We've found that quite often, people who use linked accounts keep their primary account's security info (including password and proofs) up to date, but don't lavish as much care on their secondary accounts. It's easier for a malicious party to compromise one of those secondary accounts, which gives them full access to your primary account.”

News about the change has got mixed reactions.

One blog poster on Engadget asked, “Why do they have to take down this feature? It's convenient, why not just change the policy a bit and keep it?”

“Why not simply allow the user to designate one master e-mail account and only allow it to present and allow users to manage linked E-mail accounts,” the blogger added. “So if a user logs into any non master linked account they will not be able to manage other linked accounts in the group from it. Users should take caution when adding accounts and be advised to link low priority accounts only.”

In addition, Nitin Singhal commented on the Outlook blog: “The removal of this feature is a great loss for anybody using linked account facility. It is such a great utility. And the reason given i.e. for security purposes Microsoft is doing this is not valid. They could have done better than this like typing of password whenever you switch account instead of completely banning this facility.”