How Could an Offline Computer Trigger an Email Confirmation Code?
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MellowCactus47
I recently turned on a computer that had been unused for a while and was having trouble signing in with the correct password. I tried another account, and the system asked for a confirmation code sent by email. The code seemed to be requested successfully even though I believed the computer had no Wi-Fi or wired internet connection. How could that happen?
Answers
There is a difference between displaying a message that a code will be sent and actually sending the request. If the code never arrived, the request may simply have been queued or shown locally. But if a new code was delivered to your email, an internet connection was available somehow.
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It probably was not an email confirmation at all if no connection existed. Some services use time-based one-time passwords generated from a shared secret, so those codes can work offline. However, a code specifically sent by email requires the computer or another device to reach the service, unless the email was already sent earlier.
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If the confirmation email actually arrived, the computer had some form of network access at that moment. Wi-Fi may have re-enabled after startup, it may have automatically connected to a nearby saved network, or an Ethernet connection could have been active without being obvious. The operating system can contact account services before you finish logging in.
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QuirkyMaple2: A computer can also be connected to the network at the sign-in screen. You do not necessarily need to be logged into the desktop before Windows or another account service can contact its servers.