Just days after a major global outage, Microsoft is facing another significant disruption in its online services. Users have reported difficulties accessing emails and issues with Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Azure since 1 PM.
Microsoft has acknowledged the problem, stating they are investigating access issues and performance degradation across multiple services, providing updates under MO842351 in the admin center.
The root cause of this current outage appears to be faulty network infrastructure. Microsoft has indicated that ongoing repair efforts might result in some users experiencing timeout issues, particularly when connecting to Azure services. This ongoing problem has added to the frustrations of users who rely heavily on these services for daily operations.
The previous outage was attributed to a bug in an update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which disrupted Microsoft’s internal systems. This outage affected over 8.5 million devices worldwide, including significant disruptions in the UK, US, India, Australia, Japan, and the Netherlands.
The aviation industry was particularly hard hit, with numerous flight cancellations and delays, leading to chaos at airports.
The impact of the last outage extended beyond aviation, with supermarkets struggling to process card payments and hospitals unable to access patient information. Cybercriminals exploited the situation, sending phishing emails and creating fake websites to deceive users.
The financial toll was severe, amounting to a $5.4 billion loss and affecting a quarter of US Fortune 500 companies. CrowdStrike’s attempt to mitigate the fallout by issuing vouchers to employees was marred by further issues, as the vouchers did not work.
The aftermath of these outages has also affected the insurance industry, with many businesses expected to file Business Interruption Claims. Delta Air Lines is considering legal action against CrowdStrike for its losses, potentially prompting other affected businesses to do the same.
These incidents underscore the vulnerability of critical digital infrastructure and the far-reaching consequences of service disruptions.
