Microsoft services, including Outlook email, experienced an hours-long outage, leaving users frustrated as they waited for emails to come through.
Nancy Bower, of Roslindale, said she has been unable to access her emails on Microsoft Outlook.
“When I go in, it tells me I have 11 messages, but it’s not showing anything,” Bower said.
Bower, who is currently searching for a job, said the outage has been particularly stressful.
“I’m looking for a job, and that’s the email that I’m using for all of the jobs,” she said.
Microsoft confirmed the outage affected multiple Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook email.
Robert Siciliano, a cybersecurity expert with Protect Now, explained the technical issue behind the outage.
“Microsoft’s main computers had a glitch, and they just stopped working, and when that happens, their backup computers become overloaded,” Siciliano said.
While Siciliano noted that major outages like this can raise concerns about cyberattacks, he emphasized there is no indication that this outage was caused by one.
He advised users to remain cautious during the recovery process.
“If anybody receives anything from Microsoft that says anything like password reset or reinstall or click this link, just don’t,” Siciliano said. “The reality is that Microsoft servers in the backend just have to get back online, and once they do, everything is going to work as it’s supposed to, like nothing happened.”
As service remained unreliable, Bower shared her experience of testing the system.
“We did a test, and I sent you an email over Outlook. Have you gotten it?” she asked. “No, I haven’t.”
Bower said the outage has been particularly stressful due to her job search.
“If I wasn’t looking for a job, I don’t think I would be that stressed out about it,” she said.
