Microsoft Corp. reported that a widespread outage of its Azure cloud services was caused by a distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) cyberattack. The attack commenced early Tuesday and was exacerbated by a flaw in Microsoft’s automated defense systems, which failed to mitigate the impact effectively, according to the company’s status update.
The disruption affected multiple regions and services hosted on Azure, including those of major clients. Notably, Starbucks Corp. experienced significant interruptions in its mobile ordering system, which was inoperative for several hours due to the Azure issues, as confirmed by an insider.
DDoS attacks overwhelm websites with massive volumes of internet traffic, leading to disruptions or complete shutdowns. Such attacks have increasingly troubled financial institutions, resulting in periodic outages and necessitating intensive countermeasures from security teams.
Reports of problems with Azure and Microsoft 365 surged shortly after 7 a.m. New York time, with Downdetector logging hundreds of complaints at the peak of the incident. Microsoft indicated that the issue was resolved by approximately 5 p.m. New York time.
In addition to Azure, the outage also impacted various Microsoft 365 services and features, including key applications like Outlook, Word, and Excel. By about 1 p.m. New York time, Starbucks had mostly restored its mobile ordering system but continued to address minor disruptions, according to a company spokesperson.
This incident follows a recent issue where approximately 8 million Windows computers crashed due to a problematic software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. Microsoft is also dealing with the aftermath of a series of cyberattacks that led to a critical US government report demanding significant reforms.
During a conference call on Tuesday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella highlighted the company’s progress in enhancing its cybersecurity measures, reporting over 1.2 million security customers. “We remain committed to prioritizing security above all else,” Nadella emphasized.
