Numerous reports of the Outlook ‘TokenFactoryIframe’ are available on Reddit. Users are frustrated with the new bug that downloads a file when they access Outlook via Safari. They suspect the file to be malware, which increased panic among users accessing work-based email accounts.
Outlook ‘TokenFactoryIframe’ first report surfaced on Reddit two days ago. After that, the comment section became flooded with users facing the same issue with Outlook on Safari.
What is the Outlook ‘TokenFactoryIframe’ bug?
The Outlook ‘TokenFactoryIframe’ is a file that auto-downloads every time someone accesses Outlook web via the Safari browser. As soon as you open Outlook in the browser, a file named Outlook ‘TokenFactoryIframe’ downloads.
It doesn’t even ask for download permissions from the user. Moreover, it doesn’t have any file extension. It is just an empty file with a mysterious name. 9to5Mac tried to reproduce the same issue on their system but didn’t encounter the bug.
However, the Reddit comments reveal another detail about the bug. It is slowly spreading to other systems too. Initially, it occurred on Macs and Safari browsers. But a user shared that the bug is also prevalent in other browsers. He said that if someone isn’t facing the issue now, they will experience it soon.
However, Microsoft has a different opinion on the issue. A spokesperson said that only Safari users are facing the issue. It seemed unusual activity for the browser to download an internal token. The Outlook ‘TokenFactoryIframe’ bug doesn’t appear in other browsers while using Outlook.
How to fix the bug?
If you are a Mac user who is skeptical of the downloaded file, don’t worry. It is an empty text file with no traces of malware. Delete the ‘TokenFactoryIframe’ file from your system. Microsoft recommends you use another browser to access Outlook for the time being. But if you don’t want to switch browsers, simply block all downloads from the websites.
Repeat the following steps to stop the automatic file download:
- Click on the Safari menu and then click on Preferences.
- Then navigate to the Websites tab.
- Select the Downloads option in the sidebar.
- Find Outlook and change its permission to Deny.
In other Windows news, Microsoft is revamping the Windows Task Manager with a dash of colors. Did you face the Outlook ‘TokenFactoryIframe’ bug? Is it isolated to the Safari browser or have you experienced it on Chrome and other browsers? Share your experience in the comments.
