Significant Web Failure Affects Many Sites and Mobile Apps

An extensive web outage has disrupted numerous online platforms and apps globally, with users noting troubles getting online due to difficulties at the web hosting service.

The disrupted apps comprise Snapchat, the gaming platform Roblox, Signal, and Duolingo, along with several Amazon-operated services including its key e-commerce website and the Ring doorbell home security firm.

In the UK, the financial institution Lloyds was affected in addition to its branches the bank Halifax and the Scottish bank, while there were additional accounts of difficulties using the the tax authority online portal on Monday morning. Also in the UK, many Ring device owners turned to online platforms to report their home gadgets were not working.

In the UK alone, reports of disruptions on individual apps ran into the many thousands for each platform.

Officials confirmed that the problem originated in the Atlantic coast of the United States at the cloud division, a unit that offers crucial internet backbone for many firms, who rent out capacity on AWS infrastructure. AWS is the world’s largest online services platform.

Shortly after late night (PDT) in the US (morning UK time), Amazon confirmed “elevated error rates and delays” for AWS services in a zone on the east coast of the US. The ripple effect appeared to disrupt platforms globally, and the Downdetector site reporting problems with the same sites in various regions.

The monitoring service Thousand Eyes, a service that tracks internet outages, also reported a rise in problems on Monday morning, and numerous instances found in the Virginia area, the site of the eastern US data center where officials confirmed the issues began.