Microsoft services failed due to authentication errors

Complex failure of Microsoft’s Azure Active Directory (AAT) cloud service: Users could not log in for hours due to authentication error. This also applies to cloud-based services including Microsoft Teams, Xbox Streams and Dynamics.

According to the Microsoft status page The issues started at 8pm on Monday (Central European time) and were only resolved on Tuesday morning. A key for signing is said to have been deleted, which is why the signed tokens are no longer known. It took a while, though I could fix this quickly and import the temporary metadata until it came to temporary storage.

Microsoft explains that keys that are no longer used are usually removed as part of an automated security system. For a complex cloud displacement, a key was in a “retained” state for longer than usual. Nevertheless it was removed. This later caused the error. Microsoft apologizes and promises to understand that such an incident is “unacceptable”.

Previous issues and solutions

A similar crash in Microsoft’s Azure-based services in September prompted further warnings and measures to ensure working efficiency. The first results are already available and will appear more in the middle of the year. The Azure AT backup recognition, announced in September, has also grown well – but has not yet helped the current problem. Microsoft services will not be available in 2019. The reason was in the Azure Active Directory.

Google’s cloud has also dropped several times. Last fall there were interruptions in almost all services – there were interruptions in the Google Cloud Shell, i.e. the infrastructure for cloud applications. Many servers have crashed. In December it was due to storage issues in the registration system.

(emw)