How to Set Up and Manage Conditional Access Policies to Block Logins from Outside Australia for Your Brisbane Small Business

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to Set Up and Manage Conditional Access Policies to Block Logins from Outside Australia for Your Brisbane Small Business. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Conditional Access policies in Microsoft Entra ID allow your Brisbane small business to control how users access Microsoft 365 based on specific conditions. By configuring a location-based policy, you can block login attempts originating from outside Australia, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access from overseas attackers while ensuring your local team can work without interruption.

Detailed Instructions

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have one of the following licenses assigned to your administrative account: Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2. You must also have the Conditional Access Administrator or Security Administrator role assigned in Microsoft Entra ID.

Step 1: Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin centre

1. Open your web browser and go to https://entra.microsoft.com.
2. Sign in using an account with global administrator or conditional access administrator privileges.

Step 2: Navigate to Conditional Access policies

1. In the left-hand navigation menu, select Protection.
2. Under the Protection section, click Conditional Access.
3. On the Conditional Access page, select Policies.

Step 3: Create a new policy

1. Click + New policy.
2. Enter a clear name for the policy, such as Block logins from outside Australia.

Step 4: Configure assignments

1. Under the Assignments section, select Users and groups. Choose All users or select specific groups containing your staff. Click Select.
2. Select Cloud apps or actions. Choose All cloud apps to apply the restriction across Microsoft 365, or select specific apps like Office 365 Exchange Online and SharePoint. Click Select.
3. Select Conditions > Locations.
4. Set Configure to Yes.
5. Under Include, select Any location.
6. Under Exclude, select Selected locations.
7. Click Select locations, check Australia, and click Select.
8. Click Done to save the location configuration.

Step 5: Configure access controls

1. Under the Access controls section, select Grant.
2. Select Block access.
3. Click Select.

Step 6: Enable the policy

1. Under Enable policy, select On.
2. Click Create to save and activate the policy.

Troubleshooting

I am blocked from signing in while in Australia

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin centre from a different network or mobile hotspot if possible.
2. Navigate to Protection > Conditional Access > Policies.
3. Select your blocking policy and set Enable policy to Off.
4. Review the sign-in logs under Monitoring > Sign-in logs to verify your IP address is correctly geolocated to Australia.

Users are still able to log in from overseas

1. Verify the policy is set to On, not Report-only.
2. Check that the affected users are included in the policy's Users and groups assignment.
3. Ensure the location condition is correctly configured to exclude Australia rather than include it.
4. Confirm the Grant control is set to Block access.

Managing existing policies

To edit or remove a policy:

1. Go to Protection > Conditional Access > Policies.
2. Click the name of the policy you want to manage.
3. Make your changes to assignments or controls, then click Save.
4. To delete a policy, select the policy and click Delete from the top menu.

If you experience issues configuring Conditional Access or need assistance reviewing your sign-in logs, you can Open a Ticket with our Brisbane support team.

Still Having Issues?