Microsoft MFA outage locks users out of Office 365 apps, fix coming

Microsoft 365 users had a rocky start to the day as a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) glitch left many locked out of their beloved Office apps. The tech giant quickly acknowledged the issue, which prevented access for users relying on MFA, and assured everyone that they were on it.

Microsoft published an alert on X about the ongoing MFA outage. According to the company, users attempting to log in are met with frustration as their authentication efforts hit a wall. The problem also extends to MFA registration and resets, adding another layer of complication for those trying to regain access.

Microsoft’s status update was clear: “We’re investigating an issue in which Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) may prevent users from accessing some Microsoft 365 (M365) Apps. We’ve redirected affected traffic and service availability is improving.” The incident, identified as OP978247 in the Microsoft 365 admin center, became the go-to reference for administrators seeking more information.

To mitigate the fallout, Microsoft is redirecting traffic to healthier infrastructure. This rerouting aims to restore access while the root cause is under investigation. It’s worth noting that only users leveraging MFA are impacted, offering a bit of solace to those still using single-factor authentication — although, let’s be honest, that’s not ideal in today’s security landscape.

As if the MFA fiasco wasn’t enough, some users on Windows Server 2016 reported that their Microsoft 365 applications were unexpectedly crashing. Microsoft’s response? “We’re reviewing service monitoring telemetry to isolate the root cause and develop a remediation plan.” In other words, they’re on it, but it might take a minute.

As Microsoft works tirelessly to restore full functionality, users are advised to keep a close eye on updates via the admin center.

Stay tuned for more updates as this story unfolds.