Outage For Major Internet Sites Including Amazon, FedEx Resolved After Several Hours
- Amazon, FedEx, Microsoft and AirBNB were among the sites impacted by outages Thursday.
- Akamai Technologies said the outages were caused by a "disruption" in its widely-used DNS system.
- Several counties throughout Virginia and North Carolina also experienced outages that affected 911 lines.
Numerous websites experienced outages Thursday after content distribution company Akamai experienced a "disruption" in its DNS system. Some of the sites impacted include Amazon, FedEx, Microsoft and AirBNB.
Several counties and cities throughout southwest and central Virginia also experienced outages affecting 911 lines and phone systems. Authorities from the affected areas redirected citizens to alternative phone numbers to call in case of emergency as they addressed the issues.
The two events are not believed to be connected.
Akamai tweeted Thursday afternoon that a bug in the DNS system, triggered by a software update, was responsible for the website outages some customers of the company experienced. The "disruption," lasted up to one hour, and Akamai was able to solve the issue by retracting the software update, the company said.
"We apologize for the inconvenience that resulted. We are reviewing our software update process to prevent future disruptions," the company tweeted.
Some of the Virginia counties affected by 911 outages Thursday included Rockbridge, Campbell, Wythe, Grayson and Carrol. North Carolina's Amherst County also announced Thursday afternoon that it was experiencing issues with 911 lines and instructed residents to use landlines when calling.
Most have announced that 911 lines are back in service or starting to come back online after the outages. Grayson County, Halifax County and Amherst County confirmed that the outages in their areas were caused by cut fiber lines.
The live updates for this event have ended.
Bug in DNS System Caused 'Disruption' for Customer Websites, Akamai Says
Akamai tweeted Thursday afternoon that a bug in the DNS system, triggered by a software update, was responsible for the website outages some customers of the company experienced
The "disruption," lasted up to one hour, and Akamai was able to solve the issue by retracting the software update, the company said. Akamai reiterated that a cyberattack was not the cause of the outages.
"We apologize for the inconvenience that resulted. We are reviewing our software update process to prevent future disruptions," the company tweeted.
Wythe County 911 Dispatch Starting to Come Back Online: Officials
Wythe County's E-911 line has started to pick up calls from landlines and cell phones, officials said.
"You can call 911 services if you have an emergency," said Elizabeth Sweeney, Wythe County's Public Information Officer. "If your call does not go through, text 911."
County authorities have also instructed fire and rescue stations to have workers on standby in case a resident goes there directly for assistance.
WYTHEVILLE, Va.- Wythe County and nearby counties across Virginia have been experiencing issues with calls impacting 911 service. Wythe County’s E-911 Dispatch Center has started to receive some calls from landline phones and cellphones.
— Wythe County (@WytheCounty) July 22, 2021
Several Sites Confirm Akamai is DNS Provider, Caused Outages
Several sites affected by mass outages confirmed that it was due to DNS service issues from their provider, Akamai.
This includes the Times of India, which tweeted Tuesday that some of the digital services were downed from the Akamai outage. The site later confirmed that their services were reinstated.
#UPDATE | Our services are back to normal. Thank you for your patience. https://t.co/qorLtCHHpY
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) July 22, 2021
The New York Metro Transportation Authority also cited the Akamai issues as the cause of some inaccessible digital tools. The organization has not announced yet whether the services are back online.
You may be unable to access several digital tools, including https://t.co/1mbGGZApQy and MYmta, because of the global Akamai outage right now.
— MTA. Wear a Mask. Stop the Spread. (@MTA) July 22, 2021
In the meantime, please DM @NYCTSubway or @NYCTBus if you need any help.
Rockbridge County 911 Lines Back in Service
In Rockbridge County, 911 lines are now back in service, the county's Fire-Rescue and Emergency Management account tweeted. Residents can again use 911 in case of emergency, rather than the temporary number provided earlier on Thursday.
911 lines are back up. If you have an emergency please dial 911.
— Rockbridge Co. Fire-Rescue&Emergency Management (@CoRockbridge) July 22, 2021
DNS Outages Not Caused by a Cyberattack: Akamai
After previously announcing that they had "implemented a fix" for DNS issues, Akamai tweeted that the problems were not caused by a cyberattack.
The company said that services seemed to be resuming normal operations, based on observation, but they were still monitoring the situation.
We are continuing to monitor the situation and can confirm this was not a result of a cyberattack on the Akamai platform.
— Akamai Technologies (@Akamai) July 22, 2021
Grayson, Halifax County Officials Cite Fiber Cuts as Cause of 911 Outages
Officials from Virginia's Grayson County and Halifax County cited fiber cuts as the cause of 911 outages in their areas.
Galax city officials said that a fiber cut from CenturyLink was affecting 911 lines in Galax, Grayson County and Caroll County. Those in the affected areas were instructed to call 911 from a landline, text 911 or call (276) 920-4391.
Grayson county officials estimated phone lines would be back in service in two to three hours as CenturyLink completed repairs on the fiber cut.
Halifax County's 911 dispatch system is also out of service because of a fiber cut, officials said. The outage also affects dispatch for South Boston, and authorities provided asked residents in need of help to text 911 or call (434) 579-2870.
Other Virginia counties contending with 911 outages haven't announced a cause yet.
Akamai 'Implemented a Fix" for Edge DNS Service
Akamai, a content distribution network, said that they had implemented a fix for an issue with its Edge DNS service, and they believe operations are "resuming."
Various websites affected by mass outages Tuesday showed that DNS, or Domain Name System, failures had caused the issues.
It was unclear how many of the downed websites use Akamai's DNS, but the company tweeted that it was "aware of an emerging issues" with the service and it was "actively investigating the issue" around the same time mass outage reports began.
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.
— Akamai Technologies (@Akamai) July 22, 2021
Wythe, Abermale Among Virginia Counties Reporting 911 Outages
Virginia's Wythe County and nearby counties are experiencing issues with 911, landline and cell phone calls, officials said. County authorities said phone providers were working to address the issue and asked those experiencing an emergency to text 911 in the meantime.
Wythe County and nearby counties are experiencing issues with landline and cellphone calls, impacting 911 service.
— Wythe County (@WytheCounty) July 22, 2021
“If you need immediate help, text 911,” stated Elizabeth Sweeney, Wythe County Public Information Officer.
Albermale County reported "widespread, intermittent phone issues" throughout the area, and asked resident to text 911 or call (434) 977-9041.
Buckingham County and Greene County have also provided temporary emergency numbers as they contend with downed 911 lines. The numbers are (434) 956-0958 and (434) 566-2216, respectively.
More Than 40 Sites Downed Since 11 a.m. (EDT) Thursday: Downdetector
Outages were reported for more than 40 sites since 11 a.m., according to Downdetector, which monitors companies and provides live updates on downed sites.
The sites experiencing outages include US Bank, the McDonald's app, Fortnite Discover, American Express, UPS and Costco.
No information has been released at this time on the cause of the outages.
