Microsoft outage disrupts Outlook and Teams across 74 countries, cause unknown

A major Microsoft outage has disrupted access to Outlook, Teams, and other services across 74 countries for over a day, affecting governments, healthcare, and businesses. Microsoft has ruled out a cyberattack but has not identified the root cause. The outage began Thursday afternoon European time and continued into Friday morning. Microsoft's initial fixes failed, with servers crashing again under load. Downdetector logged nearly 140,000 reports for Outlook alone, and services like SharePoint Online and Defender XDR were also affected. The incident has intensified European concerns about over-reliance on a few US tech giants. Experts advise organizations to prepare for digital failures like natural disasters, while users should be wary of scams and check for delayed messages. Microsoft has not provided a full explanation or timeline for resolution.