Microsoft Outlook is currently down for many users as of Monday afternoon due to an authentication component issue. ^[1] Quishing is a phishing technique using malicious QR codes to redirect victims to compromised websites or download harmful content, bypassing traditional email security filters. ^[2] The ultimate goal of Quishing is to steal sensitive information such as passwords, financial data, Aadhaar card details, phone numbers, and bank credentials. ^[3] Downdetector shows tens of thousands of user reports regarding the Outlook outage as of 3:00 p.m. ET, with the rate of reports decreasing but thousands still coming in. ^[4] Microsoft officially confirmed the outage on its Microsoft 365 Status X account, stating they have identified an issue with an authentication component contributing to the impact. ^[5] Microsoft stated they have developed a remediation strategy and are applying it to a portion of infrastructure to test its efficacy before applying the solution more broadly. ^[6] Cybercriminals primarily target senior citizens and young adults who are less aware of cyber threats, exploiting their trust and limited internet knowledge. ^[7] Quishing is highly sophisticated, evading detection by secure email gateways like Google Gmail and Microsoft Outlook, which often treat QR codes as benign images. ^[8]