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Microsoft has said it is investigating outages of some Office applications and cloud services with thousands or reports of people experiencing technical problems today
Microsoft says it has resolved global outages of some Office applications and cloud services.
An alert on the technology giant's service status website on Tuesday said it was looking into a "network infrastructure" issue that was impacting access to Microsoft services. It comes just two weeks after the major IT outage through CrowdStrike which wreaked global chaos and saw thousands of cancellations and delays to travel.
The corporation wrote on social media: "We're currently investigating access issues and degraded performance with multiple Microsoft 365 services and features. More information can be found under MO842351 in the admin center."
Minecraft, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Azure are affected by the outage, according to DownDetector, which monitors IT outages across the globe. Thousands of reports were made on Tuesday afternoon, with Microsoft since conirming it had resolved the matter.
Outlook, the company's email and calendar system, was also down, with users reporting they were unable to access their emails. Water suppliers including Cambridge Water and South Staffs Water as well as HM Courts Service were among the organisations saying they had been affected.
It comes after a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike impacted around 8.5 million Windows computers worldwide last Friday, bringing businesses and infrastructure to a standstill.
Banks, supermarkets and other major institutions were all reporting computer issues disrupting services, with some airlines warning of delays and some airports grounding flights. Trains were also affected with travellers told to expect disruption.
This live blog is now over.
KEY EVENT
Global outage resolved
Microsoft says it has resolved today's outage, which it says was triggered by a "DDoS attack" and "amplified" by a defence error.
In a post on X, the company said: "We've confirmed after extended monitoring that the issue is now resolved."
Susie Beever
Extent of today's outage yet to be certified
The extent of the issues currently being experienced by some Microsoft users is not yet known, although is understood to not be as serious tas this month's CrowdStrike outage which caused global chaos.
The outage earlier this month wreaked havoc across the UK as flights and train services were cancelled, people were turned away from doctor's surgeries, and broadcasters were taken off air.
Susie Beever
Companies and services which have been experiencing issues
These are the companies, organisations, platforms and services which saw a spike in reported issues at 2pm this afternoon, when Microsoft first reported issues with 365 and Azure.
These are according to Downdetector, and may not all be related directly to the Microsoft outage.
- Microsoft 365
- Microsoft Store
- Azure
- Minecraft
- Xbox Live
- Poker Stars
- NatWest
- EE
- O2
- ASDA
- Valorant
- John Lewis
- Mastercard
- Hayu
- Lloyds Bank
- Fortnite
- RBS
- Giffgaff
- Nationwide
- Sea of Thieves
- SSE
Susie Beever
NatWest hit by outage
Banking giant NatWest is among those expeiriencing difficulties as a result of today's Microsoft outage.
In a statement posted to its website the bank said: "We're aware of an issue preventing some customers from accessing some of our webpages. We're working on a fix and apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Susie Beever
England and Wales' courts service also hit by outage
HM Courts and Tribunals Sevice have also been affcted by the Azure outage today.
Posting on X, the service said many people were currently unable to access many of its services.
— HM Courts and Tribunals Service (@HMCTSgovuk) July 30, 2024We are aware of users experiencing issues accessing multiple online services. This appears to relate to a global Microsoft Azure outage.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused. pic.twitter.com/1kFk05ZdFz
Susie Beever
Cambridge Water hit by Microsoft issues
Water companies in Cambridgeshire and Staffordshire are among those to be hit by the issues this afternoon.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Cambridge Water said: "Due to worldwide issues with Microsoft Azure, a problem with our website is affecting several services including MyAccount and PayNow." South Staffs Water says it is also experiencing problems.
— Cambridge Water (@Cambswater) July 30, 2024Due to worldwide issues with Microsoft Azure, a problem with our website is affecting several services including MyAccount and PayNow.
Thanks for bearing with us as we work through this issue with our IT providers and do keep an eye on our social channels for further updates. pic.twitter.com/O5pHoHURP4
Dave Snelling
Gamers vent frustration as outage hits thousands
Down Detector, which monitors outages across the globe is currently showing over 1,000 reports that Microsoft 365 is down.
More worryingly is the amount of people who can't access Minecraft right now with over 2,000 reports flooding in from across the UK alone.
Venting their frustration at the gaming outage, one user named Woody said: "I wanted to spend some time on Minecraft but noooo Microsoft decided to be down." And another called Mary added: "I can't sign into my Microsoft Account to play Minecraft on my Nintendo Switch. Are they down?"
Susie Beever
What is Microsoft Azure?
Azure, which is what the current issues are connected to, is a cloud firewall security service which is used by companies worldwide.
Also affected by today's probems are Microsoft's Intune platform, which is used by companies as an organisational tool, and Entra, a cloud identity resource which allows identification and authorisation for other Microsoft or third-party services.
Susie Beever
Starbucks app also down
Bad news for caffeine addicts as the world's biggest coffee chain appears to be hit by IT issues today.
The corporation's mobile app is currently down, according to DownDetector, meaning customers can't order ahead or access their points for rewards like free coffees. While it's not clear whether this is connected to the current Microsoft issues, the issue is worldwide and reportedly affecting all customers globally.
Approximately 80% struggled to get into it, while another 20% said they struggled to log in to their accounts in general. The baseline for reports about the app is zero - it's rare the app crashes, though it has been known to experience glitches.
Susie Beever
Gamers hit by current outage
According to website status platform DownDetector, users of Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, players of popular video game Minecraft and Xbox Live were among those reporting issues.
The corporation has said it is actively investigating the issue and working to rectify it.
Susie Beever
Outage comes less than two weeks after CrowdStrike fiasco
It's only 10 days since the world was hit by the CrowdStrike IT outage which hit millions of users worldwide.
The outage knocked global infrastructure including transportation, aviation and healthcare services offline because of a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike affected Microsoft devices.
Tim Hanlon
Global IT outage highlights need for beefed up tech defences, says Vallance
Disruption caused by a global IT outage caused by CrowdStrike has underlined the importance of having secure and resilient digital systems, a new science minister has said.
Lord Vallance of Balham highlighted the recent major incident and “devastating cyber attacks” against the UK as he stressed the need to strengthen the nation’s tech defences.
A faulty update rolled out by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike knocked many services offline around the world causing flight and train cancellations and crippling some healthcare systems.
In the King’s Speech, the new Labour Government had said it would introduce the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which would give greater power to regulators to push more firms to implement better cybersecurity defences.
It said the legislation would expand the remit of existing regulation and put regulators on a stronger footing, as well as increasing the reporting requirements placed on businesses to help build a better picture of cyber threats to the UK.
Opening a debate on the King’s Speech in the Lords, Lord Vallance, making his first appearance at the despatch box, said: “Nowhere are security risks more apparent than in cyber attacks. In light of last week’s global IT outage caused by a failed software update, ensuring that our digital systems are safe and resilient feels more important than ever.
“In the last 18 months, we have seen devastating cyber attacks at the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Mail and the British Library. A recent attack on the NHS resulted in thousands of appointments and elective procedures being postponed, impacting health provision right across the capital.”
Tim Hanlon
Microsoft statement on outage
Microsoft wrote on social media about the outage: "We're currently investigating access issues and degraded performance with multiple Microsoft 365 services and features. More information can be found under MO842351 in the admin center."
