Amazon Web Services Restores Operations After Major Outage

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced it has resolved the issue that disrupted numerous major websites and apps, returning all services to 'normal operations'. Earlier, platforms like Snapchat, Duolingo, and Roblox were affected, with Downdetector reporting ongoing issues with Grok, Lyft, and Hulu.

Some applications were offline for over six hours, impacting more than 1,000 companies. The incident has sparked discussions on accountability, as noted by AWS's North America technology correspondent.

The outage began early today, affecting a wide range of services including Snapchat, Roblox, Zoom, Coinbase, and banking services like Lloyds, Bank of Scotland, and Halifax. The root cause was traced to a malfunction in AWS's northern Virginia cluster, the world's largest cloud provider.

While outages are not uncommon, the simultaneous failure of multiple sites is rare, though experts note such events are becoming more frequent. The increasing reliance on cloud services highlights the fragility of these systems.

AWS now reports that its cloud division has returned to normal, and Downdetector notes a decrease in issue reports. The focus now shifts to determining responsibility and recovering losses, as stated by the North America technology correspondent.