Tech
Microsoft Resolves Global Outage Affecting Outlook, Minecraft, and Other Services
Microsoft has repaired a global outage affecting its products, including Outlook and Minecraft.
According to the corporation, preliminary investigations reveal that the interruption was caused by a cyber-attack and a failure to protect against it.
Previously, the corporation apologised for the event, which lasted over 10 hours and prompted thousands of users to report problems with Microsoft services.
It comes less than two weeks after a significant global outage caused by a botched software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, rendering approximately 8.5 million machines running Microsoft systems unusable, affecting healthcare and travel.
“While the initial trigger event was a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack… initial investigations suggest that an error in the implementation of our defences amplified the impact of the attack rather than mitigating it,” according to a Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform website update.
DDoS attacks work by flooding a website or online service with internet traffic in an attempt to bring it down or otherwise render it unreachable.
“It seems slightly surreal that we’re experiencing another serious outage of online services from Microsoft,” said computer security specialist Professor Alan Woodward.
“You’d expect Microsoft’s network infrastructure to be bomb-proof.”
Earlier,The outage affected Microsoft Azure, the cloud computing infrastructure that powers many of the company’s services, as well as Microsoft 365, which includes Office and Outlook.
It also named its cloud systems, Intune and Entra, as among those affected.
Microsoft has released a remedy that “shows improvement” and will monitor the situation “to ensure full recovery”.
“We apologise for the inconvenience,” it stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The disruption appears to have disrupted other services that rely on Microsoft platforms, including Cambridge Water.
“Due to worldwide issues with Microsoft Azure, a problem with our website is affecting several services including MyAccount and PayNow,” according to a posting on X.
The HM Courts and Tribunals Service, which administers criminal, civil, and family courts in England and Wales, reported difficulty with “multiple online services”.
Some NatWest clients also reported difficulties.
A representative for the bank told the BBC: “We are aware that some customers had difficulty accessing our webpages today. This was tied to issues reported by Microsoft Azure, which affected various Microsoft services worldwide.
“The problem has been rectified, and our websites are now operational as normal. We apologies to consumers for any inconvenience.
FC Twente, a top-flight Dutch football team, announced that their tickets website and club app were unavailable due to an outage.
The problems with one of Microsoft’s flagship programs surfaced hours before the tech titan was scheduled to release its latest financial report.
Microsoft Azure has been a significant economic generator for Microsoft in recent years.
However, in recent months, demand has slowed, causing concern among investors.
Shares of the company fell 2.7% in after-hours trading on Tuesday after it reported weaker-than-expected growth in April-June.
Microsoft reported that revenue in the “intelligent cloud” unit increased by 21% year on year in the quarter.
Overall revenue increased by 15% to $64.7 billion (£50.4 billion), with profit up 11% to $22 billion.
Tech
Huawei Technologies of China Pursues Dismissal of Criminal Charges in the United States
(VOR News) – A court in the United States dismissed a federal indictment that accused Huawei Technologies of attempting to steal technology secrets from its competitors in the United States and of deceiving banks about its operations in Iran.
The accusation included allegations that Huawei Technologies had misrepresented its operations in Iran. The United States of America was the initial location where the complaint against Huawei Technologies was submitted.
Huawei Technologies convinced the judge to dismiss many of the complaint’s claims.
In a document that was handed over to a federal court in Brooklyn on Friday evening, Huawei argued that there was no evidence to support the assumption that there was a conspiracy. The document has been presented to the court for consideration. In addition, the corporation stated that the accusation was part of the Department of Justice’s “ill-founded” China Initiative. The purpose of this campaign is to impose sanctions on individuals and companies that have ties to China.
In a case that was unrelated to the one that was accused of conducting, the Supreme Court of the United States rejected a theory of fraud known as the “right to control” doctrine.
This idea formed the basis for the counts of bank fraud that were brought against Huawei. It was asserted that a lot of the allegations were connected to actions that took place in nations other than the United States of America.
“The government has approached Huawei as a prosecutorial target in search of a crime,” Huawei stated, despite the fact that the company has entered a plea of not guilty as part of its defense. A criminal investigation is currently underway. It has been decided that the trial will take place on January 5th, 2026. This date has officially been set.
Around 207,000 people are employed by the corporation Huawei, which has its headquarters in Shenzhen and business operations in more than 170 countries.
Huawei is responsible for the employment of these workers.
During the course of the day on Monday, a representative for United States Attorney Breon Peace in Brooklyn declined to comment on the subject. Peace is based in Brooklyn. A response from legal team was not provided in a timely manner in response to requests for comment that were made.
In 2018, the investigation was initiated, which ultimately resulted in the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, who was working as the Chief Financial Officer of Huawei at the time of the arrest. The firm was initially formed by Wanzhou’s father, who was also the founding member. During the year 2022, the claims that had been filed against her were thrown out of court.
The China Initiative was initiated in 2018, during the first administration of President-elect Donald Trump, with the intention of reaching a resolution to allegations that Beijing had stolen intellectual property. This action was taken with the purpose of responding to the charges.
The program was terminated by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden four years after it had been put into effect. The charges that the program constituted racial profiling and that it generated an atmosphere of dread that hampered scientific study led to the termination of the program.
Beginning in 2019, the United States government imposed limits on Huawei’s access to American technology. The government of the United States has cited worries about the nation’s national security as the rationale for these restrictions. Huawei has refuted claims that it poses a danger to the United States of America.
The case that is now being heard in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is titled United States of America v. Huawei Technologies Co. et al. Case number 18-cr-00457 is assigned to this particular proceeding in the court system.
SOUREC: USN
SEE ALSO:
Elon Musk Predicts Justin Trudeau’s Political Downfall
Apple Launches The IPhone Into The AI Era With Free Software Update
Microsoft Advises Owners To Turn Down Requests To Spend Company Funds On Bitcoin.
Tech
Elon Musk Predicts Justin Trudeau’s Political Downfall
Tech Billionaire Musk, who supported President Donald Trump’s second presidential attempt, predicts that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will lose the next election. Musk made his prediction while speaking with a Swedish journalist on his X social media site.
The journalist updated the German government, writing, “The German Socialist government had COLLAPSED, and there are now talks about a snap election.”
Musk then reposted the Swedish journalist’s message, describing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as ‘stupid’. “Olaf ist ein Narr” translates to “Olaf is a fool.”
Another X user commented on the tweet, writing, “Elon Musk, we need your help in Canada to get rid of Trudeau.” Elon responded to his comment, writing, “He will be gone in the upcoming election.”
Olaf ist ein Narr https://t.co/Yye3DIeA17
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2024
This wasn’t the first time the tech tycoon has criticized Justin Trudeau. Previously, he criticized the Trudeau government for ‘destroying free expression’ in Canada.
His recent remark came following the Canadian government’s decision that online streaming firms must register for regulatory restrictions.
Musk, a Canadian citizen, subsequently tweeted on X, calling it shameful and adding, “Trudeau is attempting to crush free speech in Canada.” Shameful.”
The forthcoming Canadian election in October 2025 will be critical for Trudeau, who has headed the Liberal Party since 2013. Trudeau is seeking his fourth election victory in a row, a feat no prime leader has accomplished since Wilfried Laurier in 1908.
Others have tried, notably Trudeau’s father, who came close, but Canadians tend to tire of a leader by the fourth election.
While early elections in Canada are possible, the ruling Liberals and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are not eager to meet with people anytime soon. Next year, Trudeau’s party will compete with other major parties, including Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party and Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party.
Other contenders include the Green Party and the Bloc Quebecois.
Tech
Apple Launches The IPhone Into The AI Era With Free Software Update
Apple is delivering a free software update that will include its first dosage of artificial intelligence in its iPhone 16 series as the trendsetting business attempts to keep up with technology’s current fad.
The iOS 18 operating system update arrives on Monday, more than a month after four iPhone 16 models outfitted with the unique computer chip required to enable the AI features went on sale for $800 to $1,200. Last year’s premium models, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, also have processors that will enable AI technology once the software update is loaded.
The software is also compatible with recent versions of Apple’s iPad and Mac computers.
Countries outside the United States will not receive the AI software for their iPhones until next year, at an undetermined date. Apple spent the last five weeks testing the AI program with a group of iPhone owners who agreed to help the corporation fine-tune the technology.
Apple Launches The IPhone Into The AI Era With Free Software Update
The AI injection is intended to transform Apple’s frequently bumbling virtual assistant Siri into a more chatty, adaptable, and colorful buddy, whose presence will be indicated by a glowing light surrounding the iPhone screen as requests are handled.
While Apple promises Siri will be able to accomplish more jobs and get less confused, it will be unable to engage with other iPhone apps until another software update is released at an indeterminate date.
This software upgrade also includes AI tools that will handle a variety of writing and editing chores, as well as summarize the content of emails and other documents. The AI will also have various editing options for changing the appearance of photos and making it easier to find old ones.
Other AI tricks to come in future software upgrades include the capacity to generate personalized emojis on the fly or conjure other creative imagery on demand. Apple also intends to someday enable its AI suite to seek assistance from OpenAI’s ChatGPT as needed.
Most of the AI technologies Apple unveiled on Monday are already available on Android-powered handsets released by Samsung and Google earlier this year.
The iPhone’s suite of new technology is advertised as “Apple Intelligence” to distance itself from the early leaders in AI. Apple also promises that its AI features will do much better to preserve iPhone owners’ privacy by executing the technology on the device or in a fortress-like data center when some requests must be completed remotely.
Because the majority of iPhones in use across the world lack the computer chip required for Apple’s AI, the technology is likely to drive high demand for the new models during the holiday season and into next year. That is why Apple’s stock has risen 18% since the Cupertino, California, company unveiled its AI strategy at a conference in early June. The run-up has lifted Apple’s market value by approximately $500 billion, bringing it closer to being the first US firm worth $4 trillion.
Apple will provide investors with their first look at how the iPhone 16 is performing Thursday when the firm releases quarterly financial data for the July-September quarter, which covers the first few days the new models were on sale.
Apple Launches The IPhone Into The AI Era With Free Software Update
According to a smartphone market assessment by research firm International Data Corp. for the most recent quarter, demand for high-end iPhone 15 models increased as costs plummeted and enthusiasm over Apple’s entry into the AI industry grew.
According to IDC, Apple’s iPhone shipments increased 3.5 percent yearly to 56 million worldwide between July and September, trailing only Samsung. The question now is whether Apple’s progressive rollout of additional AI will entice owners of earlier iPhones to upgrade to the new models over the holidays, “future-proofing their purchases for the long term,” according to IDC analyst Nabila Popal.
An estimated 30 million people—one in every eight Americans over 12—have hearing loss in both ears. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, millions of people could benefit from hearing aids, but most have never tried them.
SOURCE | AP
-
Tech3 weeks ago
Apple Unveiled A Fresh Glimpse Of Their AI Featuring ChatGPT Integration.
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Connection Problems With The App Store Are Stopping Customers From Downloading Apps.
-
Tech4 weeks ago
The Meta Foundation Launches a New Anti-Sextortion Campaign on Instagram.
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Adobe Commences The Implementation Of AI Video Tools, Which Poses A Challenge To OpenAI And Meta.
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Appeals Court Delays Order For Google To Open Its App Store In Antitrust Case
-
Business4 weeks ago
Arthur Hayes Predicts Bitcoin Will “Rise Stupendously” When Middle East Conflict Escalates.