Microsoft apologized for the widespread global outage and said it was not caused by a cyberattack. Recovery work for multiple services, including Outlook, is continuing, with efforts under way to restore all services.
US-based Microsoft apologized on the 13th for the widespread outage that disrupted public services and corporate operations around the world. The company said multiple products, including Outlook, had been broadly restored and that work was continuing toward a full recovery. It said the outage was not caused by a cyberattack.
The outage affected email delivery, healthcare services, companies' earnings announcements and school communications, among other areas. According to information from Downdetector, Microsoft products became unavailable in 74 countries and regions, affecting parts of Europe, Asia and Africa in addition to the Americas.
A UK labor union pointed to serious effects on the country's healthcare services, an Indian airline warned of delays in responding to customer inquiries, and Immigration New Zealand disclosed that it had halted the processing of visa applications. Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akazawa (赤沢) warned of a serious impact because the outage affected services used by many people.
The outage was attributed to issues that surfaced amid increased load on infrastructure and recent network changes. Microsoft said it had implemented fundamental measures and was working to restore services for its remaining customers and regions.