Top websites are down across the world - here's why

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By Anthony Spadafora
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Akamai DNS outage takes down popular sites and online services worldwide

Picture of the Earth with a web of links over the surface
(Image credit: Shutterstock / NicoElNino)

Update: Akamai has resolved its service disruption which it explained was the result of a software configuration update that triggered a bug in its DNS system.

Major websites and online services including AWS, Google, Salesforce, Cloudflare and others were taken offline as a result of a DNS outage at the global CDN provider Akamai.

According to a notice posted on the company's site, an Edge DNS service problem was to blame and the incident has now been mitigated.

In addition to its Edge DNS Service Incident notice, Akamai has been updating its customers regarding the situation on Twitter. In a recent tweet, the company explained that while the service has been restored, it's still keeping a close eye on things, saying:

“We have implemented a fix for this issue, and based on current observations, the service is resuming normal operations. We will continue to monitor to ensure that the impact has been fully mitigated.”

Edge DNS outage

Akamai's Edge DNS service is a cloud-based DNS solution built on a globally distributed Anycast network that is designed to provide 24/7 DNS availability while also improving DNS responsiveness. The service also offers businesses and site owners with the resilience to defend against large-scale DDoS attacks.

While the outage at the company now appears to be resolved, the incident affected almost 50 popular websites and online services according to Downdetector.

Among the sites that saw issues or outages were:

  • AWS
  • Amazon
  • Cloudflare
  • Google
  • Salesforce
  • Oracle
  • Verizon
  • AT&T
  • Xfinity
  • T-Mobile
  • FedEx
  • UPS

Popular gaming services including the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, EA, Origin and others along with games like Fortnite and Apex Legends were also affected.

If today's incident seems at all familiar, that's likely because competing CDN provider Fastly also experienced a similar worldwide outage just last month.

Via BleepingComputer

Anthony Spadafora
Anthony Spadafora

After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.