On Monday, a significant internet outage hit websites around the globe. The issue stemmed from Cloudflare, a company that protects millions of sites from cyber threats. Many users found themselves unable to access popular platforms, including X and OpenAI, leading to widespread error messages.
By Tuesday, Cloudflare’s troubles continued. They reported spikes in unusual traffic starting at 11:20 AM, which triggered errors across their network. A Cloudflare spokesperson assured users that while most services were functioning normally, some were disrupted and the team was working hard to resolve the situation.
This incident isn’t an isolated one. Just weeks prior, Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced outages that affected countless sites. Experts argue that the internet’s infrastructure heavily relies on a few key players. Alan Woodward, a professor at the Surrey Centre for Cyber Security, referred to Cloudflare as a “gatekeeper” of the internet. He pointed out that if one major service falters, the impact is felt quickly and widely.
Cloudflare had scheduled maintenance on several of its data centers, including locations in Los Angeles and Santiago. It’s uncertain if this maintenance was related to the outage; however, they did disable an encryption service called Warp in London, causing additional connection issues for users.
Interestingly, while the cause of the outage is still under investigation, experts suggest it’s unlikely to be a cyber-attack. Woodward explained that such a large service typically has safeguards against single points of failure.
In today’s digital age, just a few companies manage essential parts of internet infrastructure. This makes the system fragile: one failure can lead to widespread disruptions. Users are increasingly aware of how interconnected and dependent our online services have become. The recent surge in internet outages highlights the need for more robust solutions and the importance of diversifying our digital infrastructure.
For more insights on the stability of internet infrastructure, check out this article from The Guardian: Inside the fragile system holding the modern world together.
