Microsoft apologises for global outage, rules out cyberattack
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Defimedia, Seneweb and Kassataya
Microsoft apologised on Friday after a global outage of its software disrupted numerous public services and businesses since the previous day. The company attributed the incident to a “high load” on its infrastructure and ruled out malicious activity, a cyberattack or any involvement of artificial intelligence, according to Seneweb.
The outage spread worldwide within an hour and affected users in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa, according to Downdetector data. In New Zealand, the ability to receive emails was affected at the country’s embassies, consulates and representations.
In Japan, Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa anticipated a “significant impact” because of the high number of users affected. In the United Kingdom, NHS services reported difficulties and Rachel Harrison, head of public services at the GMB union, reported serious repercussions for ambulance services and some healthcare facilities, while specifying that emergency interventions appeared to be unaffected.
In Paris, a school asked parents to prioritise telephone calls if needed. The outage recalls the one in July 2024 linked to an update to CrowdStrike cybersecurity software on Windows, which affected airports, hospitals and many organisations around the world.
