The Day the Internet Blinked: What Crashed the Web on Monday

Image Source : Somos Hermanos -

A massive internet outage on Monday, October 21, 2025, was triggered by a Domain Name System (DNS) malfunction in Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) US-EAST-1 region. The disruption affected major platforms including WhatsApp, Reddit, and banking apps. Services were gradually restored by evening, highlighting global reliance on cloud infrastructure.

On Monday, October 21, 2025, a large-scale internet outage disrupted digital life across the globe, affecting millions of users and businesses. The root cause was traced to a DNS resolution failure within Amazon Web Services (AWS), specifically in its US-EAST-1 region. As one of the world’s largest cloud service providers, AWS supports countless websites, apps, and backend systems—making the impact swift and widespread.

The outage began in the early hours and lasted several hours, taking down popular platforms such as WhatsApp, Reddit, Snapchat, and various financial services. Even smart home devices and airline booking systems were affected, underscoring the deep integration of cloud services in everyday life.

Amazon later confirmed the issue and reported that full functionality was restored by Monday evening. The incident has reignited discussions around cloud dependency and the need for diversified infrastructure.

Key Highlights:

- Root Cause Identified:

The outage was triggered by a DNS malfunction in AWS’s US-EAST-1 region, which disrupted domain name resolution for numerous services.

- Global Impact:

Major platforms including WhatsApp, Reddit, Snapchat, and several banking and airline systems experienced downtime.

- Duration and Recovery:

The disruption lasted several hours, with services gradually returning to normal by Monday evening.

- Cloud Dependency Exposed:

The incident highlighted how deeply embedded AWS is in global digital infrastructure, raising concerns about single-point vulnerabilities.

- Amazon’s Response:

AWS acknowledged the issue and stated that systems were back online after identifying the DNS error as the potential root cause.

- Affected Services:

Social media, gaming platforms, smart home devices, and financial tools were among the most impacted.

- User Frustration:

Millions of users reported outages and service interruptions, leading to widespread complaints and social media buzz.

- Business Disruption:

E-commerce, logistics, and customer service operations faced delays, affecting productivity and revenue.

- Calls for Redundancy:

Experts are urging companies to adopt multi-cloud strategies to mitigate future risks.

- Infrastructure Review:

The outage has prompted renewed scrutiny of cloud architecture and disaster recovery protocols.

As digital ecosystems grow increasingly reliant on cloud platforms, the AWS outage serves as a stark reminder of the fragility and interconnectedness of modern internet infrastructure.

Sources: MSN News, OneIndia, Al Jazeera, Economic Times.

Stay Ahead – Explore Now! AI Icons: The (Un)Real Stars Shaping Tomorrow’s Trends