Microsoft issues statement following massive global outage and reveals a fix is 'not working as expected'
Microsoft services around the world have been disrupted for more than 14 hours, leaving email, calendars and AI tools unreliable for users across dozens of countries.
According to the BBC, Microsoft has pinned the problem on 'elevated load' across its infrastructure in multiple regions, after a number of servers became 'unexpectedly unavailable' and pushed extra traffic onto those still running.
Microsoft executive Charles Lamanna said the incident was not caused by a cyber-security incident, writing in a post on X: "We regret that today's outages caused disruptions for our customers, and we are working to address the issue."
Getting services back has proved difficult. Microsoft first said it was seeing 'positive results' from efforts to restart systems, but later said the fixes were not working 'as expected'.
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It had also warned that restarted services can become unresponsive again once traffic returns.
In its latest update, the company said it was still recovering frontend servers while taking further steps to improve stability and capacity.
Technology analyst Paul Spain told the BBC has said that if no cyber-attack was involved, the problem points to 'incredible incompetence'.
Which Microsoft services are affected by the outage?
Outage-tracking site Downdetector first detected problems just after 16:15 GMT on Thursday, with reports about Outlook peaking at nearly 140,000 around 18:00 GMT, more than 2,000 times the normal level.
It says the disruption reached 74 countries within about an hour, and Microsoft's website puts the number of people using its 365 apps at more than 430 million.
Exchange Online, which includes the Outlook email app, is among the services disrupted for many customers, and some users may be unable to view certain files or calendar details. Copilot has also been disrupted. Microsoft has said messaging and online meetings were largely functional, though a senior executive at a large Indian brokerage, who spoke anonymously, said Teams calls with big clients have been 'a challenge'.
The knock-on effects have reached other tech firms too.
OpenAI said it was investigating an issue affecting its connections to Microsoft's services, while Anthropic said it had identified an issue affecting its links to Microsoft 365.
Who else has been affected by the Microsoft outage?
Public services have felt the strain in several countries.
Singapore's Government Technology Agency confirmed some government systems were affected but said emergency services remain fully operational, while the country's courts asked people to phone about urgent matters.
The Philippines Supreme Court warned that email responses may be delayed, and courts from Los Angeles to Texas to Alberta have issued similar notices.
In Australia, the spy agency ASIO and federal police have also been affected, though officials have suggested the impact is minimal.
Home Affairs and Cybersecurity Minister Tony Burke said Microsoft officials in the country told him they believe the situation is similar to the CrowdStrike outage in 2024, where an update had 'gone awry'.
India's biggest airline, IndiGo, said its email support services have been hit, while rival Air India posted on X: "Emails can wait."
Banks and universities have also warned users to watch for fake offers of IT support.
UNILAD has contacted Microsoft for comment.
Topics: Microsoft, World News, Technology
Thomas Bamford
