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Tag: failure

  • Global Internet Disruption: Amazon’s AWS Resumes After Massive Outage

    Global Internet Disruption: Amazon’s AWS Resumes After Massive Outage

    Amazon’s cloud service, Amazon Web Services (AWS), resumed regular operations on Monday afternoon after an internet outage disrupted thousands of sites worldwide, affecting popular applications like Snapchat and Reddit. AWS, which provides application hosting and computing processes for businesses globally, suffered an interruption that impacted workers and halted regular activities such as online payments and ticket changes. Complaints of persistent difficulties with services like digital wallet Venmo and video-calling platform Zoom were reported on Monday afternoon.

    Backlog of Messages and Previous Disruptions

    Despite the resumption of services, Amazon noted that some AWS services had a backlog of messages that would require additional time to process. This isn’t the first time AWS has been implicated in a significant internet collapse. The northern Virginia cluster of AWS, known as US-EAST-1, has contributed to major internet meltdowns at least three times in the past five years.

    Amazon did not provide a detailed explanation as to why this specific data centre continues to be affected. The recent problems were traced back to the Domain Name System (DNS), which averted applications from locating the correct address for AWS’s DynamoDB API, a cloud database essential for storing user information and other crucial data.

    Root Cause and Effects

    Earlier, AWS attributed the root cause of the outage to an underlying subsystem responsible for monitoring the health of its network load balancers, which help distribute traffic across multiple servers. The issue, according to AWS, originated within the EC2 internal network, Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud service, which offers on-demand cloud capacity within AWS. The issue was resolved around 3 pm PT (2200 GMT), although some services continued to have a backlog of messages to process.

    Ken Birman, a computer science professor at Cornell University, emphasized the need for software developers to enhance fault tolerance, suggesting that AWS provides tools that developers can utilize to safeguard themselves in the event of an issue at one of its data centres.

    AWS and Previous Outages

    As the world’s largest cloud provider, AWS offers computing power, data storage, and other digital services to companies, governments, and individuals. Disruptions to its servers can result in outages across websites and platforms that depend on its cloud infrastructure. According to AWS, Monday’s outage started at its US-EAST-1 location, AWS’s oldest and largest site for web services, which previously suffered outages in 2021 and 2020.

    Interconnected and Fragile Infrastructures

    The problem underscores the interconnectivity of digital services and their reliance on a small number of global cloud providers. A single glitch can significantly disrupt businesses and everyday life.

    The outage affected a vast range of companies across sectors. Apps like Reddit, Roblox, Snapchat, and Duolingo were all impacted. Other services such as Perplexity, a startup specializing in artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, and trading app Robinhood also experienced disruptions attributed to AWS. Amazon’s own services, including its shopping website, Prime Video, and Alexa, were likewise affected.

    Questions & Answers

    What caused the AWS outage?
    The outage was linked to an underlying subsystem that monitors the health of AWS’s network load balancers. It originated from within the EC2 internal network, Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud service.

    What were the effects of the AWS outage?
    The outage disrupted thousands of sites and applications globally, including popular apps like Snapchat and Reddit. It also halted regular activities such as online payments and ticket changes.

    How often has the AWS northern Virginia cluster experienced major internet disruptions?
    The northern Virginia cluster of AWS, known as US-EAST-1, has contributed to major internet meltdowns at least three times in the past five years.

  • Global Amazon Web Services Outage Disrupts Thousands Of Websites, Reveals Vulnerability In Online Infrastructure

    Global Amazon Web Services Outage Disrupts Thousands Of Websites, Reveals Vulnerability In Online Infrastructure

    Amazon’s cloud computing division AWS resumed regular operations on Monday after an extensive internet outage that disrupted thousands of websites globally, including popular apps such as Snapchat and Reddit. However, Amazon acknowledged that certain AWS services were dealing with a backlog of messages that needed several hours to process.

    AWS provides application hosting and processing power for corporations across the globe. This disruption caused employees from London to Tokyo to be cut off from their work and hindered others from carrying out routine tasks, such as processing digital payments or modifying airline tickets. Users reported persistent difficulties using services like the digital wallet app Venmo and the video conferencing platform Zoom on Monday afternoon.

    This incident represents the most significant internet disruption since last year’s CrowdStrike failure, which crippled technology systems in hospitals, banks, and airports, emphasizing the susceptibility of globally interconnected technologies. Intriguingly, this is at least the third time in five years that AWS’s northern Virginia cluster, known as US-EAST-1, has been implicated in a major internet meltdown.

    Amazon did not provide a detailed explanation as to why this specific data center is consistently affected. The problem originated from the Domain Name System (DNS), which prevents applications from locating the correct address for AWS’s DynamoDB API, a cloud database utilized for storing user information and other vital data.

    Root Cause: Network Health Monitor

    AWS attributed the outage to a subsystem that oversees the health of its network load balancers, which distribute traffic across various servers. According to AWS, the issue originated within the “EC2 internal network,” also known as Amazon’s “Elastic Compute Cloud” service, which offers on-demand cloud capacity within AWS.

    All AWS services were back to normal operations around 3 pm PT (2200 GMT) on Monday, according to Amazon. However, services such as AWS Config, Redshift, and Connect continue to handle a backlog of messages that will take several more hours to process.

    Ken Birman, a computer science professor at Cornell University, emphasized the need for software developers to improve fault tolerance. AWS provides tools for developers to safeguard themselves against problems at any of its data centers, and developers can also establish backups with other cloud providers.

    Previous Outages at the Same AWS Location

    AWS is the world’s largest cloud provider, offering computing power, data storage, and other digital services to companies, governments, and individuals. It is followed by Microsoft’s Azure and Alphabet’s Google Cloud. Any disruption to its servers can lead to outages across websites and platforms—from food delivery apps to gaming platforms and airline systems—that rely on its cloud structure.

    The outage on Monday originated from AWS’s US-EAST-1 location, its oldest and largest for web services, which had experienced outages in 2021 and 2020.

    According to the AWS website, the US-EAST-1 site is often the default region for many AWS services.

    “Fragile Infrastructures”

    This issue underlines how interconnected everyday digital services have become and how dependent they are on a small number of global cloud providers. One failure can considerably disrupt business operations and daily life, experts say.

    In the United Kingdom, Lloyd Bank, Bank of Scotland, and telecom service providers Vodafone and BT were all affected, as was the UK tax, payments, and customs authority HMRC’s website.

    Ookla, owner of Downdetector, reported that over 4 million users experienced issues due to the incident.

    “h2>Impact on Apps

    At least a thousand companies were affected by the outage, according to Ookla. Apps such as Reddit, Roblox, Snapchat, and Duolingo were all disrupted.

    Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, and trading app Robinhood all experienced platform disruptions and attributed them to AWS.

    Amazon’s own services, including its shopping website, Prime Video, and Alexa, were also affected. Gaming platforms such as Fortnite, owned by Epic Games, Clash Royale, and Clash of Clans were among those affected. Uber competitor Lyft was also disrupted in the United States.

    Questions & Answers

    What was the cause of the AWS outage?
    The problem originated from the Domain Name System (DNS), which prevents applications from finding the correct address for AWS’s DynamoDB API, a cloud database utilized for storing user information and other vital data.

    How did the outage affect global businesses?
    The outage disrupted services for companies worldwide, causing employees to be cut off from their work and hindering others from carrying out routine tasks. This incident impacted a broad range of services—from food delivery apps to gaming platforms and airline systems—that rely on AWS’s cloud infrastructure.

    Which AWS location experienced the outage?
    The outage originated from AWS’s US-EAST-1 location, its oldest and largest for web services.

  • Hyundai, Kia move ahead with recall in U.S.

    Hyundai, Kia move ahead with recall in U.S.

    Despite a government shutdown, Hyundai and Kia are moving ahead with a recall of about 168,000 vehicles to fix a fuel pipe problem that can cause engine fires. The problem stems from improper repairs during previous recalls for engine failures. The affiliated Korean automakers have been dogged by fire and engine failure complaints from across the nation. They’re both under investigation by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has been trying to figure out whether initial recalls covered enough vehicles. But the agency is mostly closed due to the shutdown.

    In addition to the recall, each automaker says it will do a “product improvement campaign” covering a total of 3.7 million vehicles to install software that will alert drivers of possible engine failures and send the cars into a reduced-speed “limp” mode if problems are detected.

    Nhtsa employees who do safety investigations and recall notifications are not at work. Under normal circumstances, the agency would review the recalls to make sure they are adequate and post details on the agency website. It would also monitor notices to customers, and ensure customers could check to see if their vehicles are included.

    Kia spokesman James Bell said the company is proceeding with the recall and campaign regardless of government delays.

    “Making our customers comfortable is vastly more important than making sure we’re following additional government processes right now,” he said. Kia sent letters to dealers around Jan. 10 notifying them of the recall, he said.

    But a U.S. auto safety advocate called the recalls inadequate and said the product improvement campaigns should instead be recalls that are overseen by Nhtsa.

    An Nhtsa spokeswoman said she could not comment due to the shutdown.

    Hyundai and Kia started recalling 1.7 million vehicles in 2015 – about 618,000 of which are Kias – because manufacturing debris can restrict oil flow to connecting rod bearings. That can cause bearings in 2-liter and 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines to wear and fail. The problem can also cause fires. The repair in many cases is an expensive engine block replacement.

    Now the companies are acknowledging that the engine replacements may not have been properly done in all cases by dealers. A Kia statement says the high-pressure fuel pipe may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly tightened while the engines were being replaced under recall. That can allow fuel to leak and hit hot engine parts, causing fires.

    Kia says it has six reports of fires among the vehicles being recalled for possible fuel leaks, while Hyundai says it has no fire reports. Neither company had any reports of injuries.

    The fuel injector pipe recall covers some 2011 through 2014 Kia Optima cars, 2012 through 2014 Sorento SUVs, and 2011 through 2013 Sportage SUVs, all with 2-liter and 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines. Also covered are many 2011 to 2014 Hyundai Sonata cars and 2013 and 2014 Santa Fe Sport SUVs.

    More than 2 million 2011 Sonatas from the 2011 through 2018 model years and Santa Fe Sports from 2013 through 2018 are covered by the software and engine-knock sensor updates. About 1.7 million Kias, including the 2011 through 2018 Optima, the 2012 through 2018 Sorento and 2011 through 18 Sportage, are covered.

    The companies say owners of the recalled vehicles will be notified by letter. Dealers will check the fuel pipe for leaks and replace the pipe if needed.

    Kia is only doing the fix on 68,000 of its 618,000 vehicles recalled for the engine problems, while Hyundai is recalling 100,000 of more than 1 million. Hyundai said only vehicles that had engines replaced in the previous recalls are covered by the new recall.

    He also raised concerns about the government shutdown’s impact on Nhtsa, which he said should be open to handle critical safety recalls.