Microsoft Faces Global Windows Outage Disrupting Critical Services
Table of contents
Microsoft's Response and Ongoing Mitigation
In a tweet on July 18 at 11:41 pm UTC, Microsoft 365 Status announced it was investigating an issue affecting users' ability to access various Microsoft 365 apps and services. As of the latest update at 7:55 am UTC, Microsoft stated that multiple services are "continuing to see improvements in availability" as mitigation actions progress. More details can be found within the admin center under MO821132 and on Microsoft's status page.
Banking Sector Hit Hard
The banking sector has been particularly hard hit by this Windows failure. Online banking services have seen widespread disruptions, with customers worldwide reporting issues with logging in and performing transactions. Downdetector, a website that tracks service outages, has shown a substantial increase in reports of disrupted banking services.
In the United Kingdom, attempts to log into two major banks were unsuccessful this morning, leaving customers unable to access their accounts and causing widespread frustration. Similar issues have been reported in banks across the United States, Australia, and India, underscoring the global impact of this disruption.
Global Impact and Recovery Efforts
The global nature of this outage highlights the critical dependency on Microsoft's infrastructure across various sectors. As Microsoft continues its efforts to restore full functionality, affected institutions are working to manage the operational challenges posed by this significant disruption.
Stay tuned for further updates as the situation develops.