Tue Oct 21 08:20:00 UTC 2025: News Article:

Major Amazon Web Services Outage Disrupts Internet, Highlights Reliance on Cloud Infrastructure

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A widespread outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS), a key provider of cloud computing services, crippled significant portions of the internet on Monday, impacting millions of users worldwide. The disruption, which lasted for several hours, took down popular apps, websites, and online tools, underscoring the critical role cloud infrastructure plays in modern life.

The outage began around 07:11 GMT, stemming from issues within one of AWS’s main data centers in Virginia. A faulty technical update to the API of DynamoDB, a crucial cloud database service that stores user information for many platforms, appears to be the root cause. The error affected the Domain Name System (DNS), which translates website names into the IP addresses computers use to connect to servers, preventing apps from finding the correct server addresses.

As DynamoDB failed, other AWS services also experienced failures. In total, 113 services were affected by the outage.

The impact rippled across various sectors. Communication apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Zoom, and Slack experienced disruptions. Gaming platforms such as Roblox, Fortnite, and Xbox were also affected. Financial apps, including Venmo, faced issues in the United States. Some users reported that their Ring doorbells and Alexa speakers ceased functioning, while others were unable to access the Amazon website or download books on their Kindles. Other major services affected included Snapchat, Pinterest, Apple TV, Starbucks, Etsy, Duolingo, Canva, the Associated Press news agency, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Coinbase, Perplexity, and airlines like Delta and United.

At 10:11 GMT, Amazon reported that all AWS returned to normal operations.

The incident sparked concerns, with cybersecurity experts initially wondering if it was the result of a cyberattack. However, Bryson Bort, CEO of cybersecurity company Scythe, pointed out that such incidents are often due to human error.

AWS acknowledged the outage and stated that engineers worked to fix the problem and took “multiple parallel paths to accelerate recovery.” The company reported that the main issue had been fully resolved, though some users continued to face minor delays as systems recovered. AWS will publish a detailed post-event summary explaining what happened.

The outage highlights the risks associated with relying heavily on centralized cloud services, though analysts like Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets, believe Amazon will likely weather the storm. He stated that “Users are not going to suddenly jump ship. Their businesses are deeply ingrained.”

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