A widespread internet outage on Monday has disrupted thousands of websites and apps, including major services like Lloyd’s Bank, Snapchat, and the UK government’s login portal. The blackout, which affected more than 1,000 companies, was caused by a technical issue within Amazon’s cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The problem stemmed from a bug that prevented websites and apps from accessing the data they store on Amazon’s cloud servers. This meant users were unable to log in or access various online services, as the systems couldn’t retrieve their account details.
Amazon said the underlying issue has been resolved, but warned that some services may still experience disruptions as they work to fully recover. Platforms like Ring, Fortnite, and Snapchat have all reported lingering problems, with some users unable to turn off their smart home alarms or access their friend lists.
The outage highlights the growing reliance on a handful of dominant cloud providers like AWS, which underpin a vast array of digital services. Industry experts warn that such widespread failures could become more common as companies increasingly outsource their IT infrastructure.
“The outage highlights how deeply the internet depends on a few dominant cloud providers,” said Grace Harmon of research firm eMarketer. “We may see more platforms invest in contingency systems that let users quickly shift between providers like AWS and Microsoft.”
The UK government, which saw its own login services disrupted, said it was in contact with Amazon to restore operations as quickly as possible. HMRC, the tax authority, advised customers to call back later due to high call volumes resulting from the outage.
While the root cause was a technical glitch rather than a malicious attack, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities inherent in our increasingly digital-dependent world.
