In the wake of a significant global internet outage, a cybersecurity authority has urged individuals to ‘remain vigilant’.
On Monday morning, numerous people encountered disruptions as popular applications and services became inaccessible.
Services such as Amazon Web Services, Snapchat, Canva, Duolingo, and Ring faced issues, along with platforms like Roblox, Clash Royale, Life360, My Fitness Pal, Xero, Amazon Music, Prime Video, Clash of Clans, Fortnite, Wordle, Coinbase, HMRC, Vodafone, PlayStation, and Pokémon Go, which were also affected.
Although these services typically operate independently, the disruptions appear to be associated with Amazon Web Services.
Amazon Web Services noted that their engineers are actively engaged in addressing the issue while working to understand its root cause.
Charlotte Wilson, the Head of Enterprise at the cybersecurity organization CheckPoint, has provided guidance in response to the global internet outage.
According to Sky News, she remarked: “A local fault can ripple worldwide in minutes. We’ve built convenience on shared systems, but resilience still depends on people and process.”
Wilson emphasized the importance of maintaining backups for essential files and cautioned individuals to ‘stay alert’.
She further advised: “Stay alert for scams or phishing attempts – especially when banking sites are down – and never click links or share details you don’t recognise.”
Offering additional guidance to businesses during this period of uncertainty, she stated,
“Test your failovers, train your teams and plan for downtime before it arrives,” Wilson suggested. “When companies rush to restore access, systems and staff are stretched thin – and that’s when attackers strike.
“Expect a spike in fake ‘refund’ or ‘discount’ offers, phishing emails, and scam links claiming to fix the problem. Because the internet may be global, but resilience starts local – with what each of us does next.”
Amazon Web Services has reported observable ‘recovery across most of the affected AWS Services’, attributing the problem to its data center located in Northern Virginia.
The company stated, “We continue to work towards full resolution and will provide updates as we have more information to share.”
In addition to impacting services like Snapchat and Duolingo, reports from the US indicate that the outage is also affecting airlines.
The New York Times has noted that long check-in lines have emerged at LaGuardia airport due to certain reservations not appearing in booking systems.