Microsoft’s global service outage continued on Friday, November 13, disrupting Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Copilot and other Microsoft 365 services worldwide.
The disruption began on Thursday evening and remained unresolved as businesses started work on Friday. Microsoft said its recovery efforts were taking longer than expected because some servers remained unstable and configuration changes were not synchronising properly.
The company identified an overloaded server process responsible for managing secure connections as the cause of the disruption. It began reversing a recent network configuration change and adjusting traffic distribution to restore services.
Microsoft said there was no evidence of a cyberattack but had not provided a confirmed timeline for fully restoring its services.
Scammers Exploit Microsoft Outage
The outage has also created opportunities for scammers posing as Microsoft employees and technical support representatives.
Banks and financial institutions have warned customers about fraudulent calls offering to fix Microsoft-related problems. These callers may attempt to obtain remote access to computers, steal personal information or extract sensitive account details.
ING advised customers not to allow unsolicited callers to access their devices without first verifying their identity through officially listed contact numbers.
Financial crime experts have also warned that fraudsters could shift to phone calls and other communication channels while email services remain unavailable. Such scams could continue even after Microsoft’s services are restored.
Businesses Face Data Security Risks
The prolonged disruption has raised concerns about businesses turning to unofficial communication channels to continue their operations.
Employees may use personal email accounts, WhatsApp and unapproved applications to exchange company documents and customer information. These alternatives could expose confidential business data and increase cybersecurity risks.
Companies are also facing difficulties accessing systems that depend on email-based authentication, highlighting their reliance on Microsoft’s services.
The outage could cause financial losses through missed orders, delayed transactions and lost working hours.
However, businesses may not automatically receive compensation through insurance policies. Cyber insurance coverage often includes specific conditions, waiting periods and limits for disruptions involving external technology providers.
