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Amazon Web Services Outage Disrupts Millions, Fix Planned

10/25/2025

27 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A software bug in Amazon Web Services (AWS) DynamoDB DNS management caused an outage on October 20.
The bug produced an empty DNS record that blocked access to critical services.
The outage affected thousands of sites, including Snapchat and Reddit, with more than 17 million disruption reports.
Amazon said it would disable the faulty automation and implement safety measures.

History

Historical Context

The October 2020 outage of Amazon Web Services (AWS) disrupted services for thousands, including Snapchat and Reddit, with over 17 million disruption reports. This incident echoed past AWS outages, such as the April 2011 failure that affected major platforms. The event underscored the growing reliance on cloud technology and prompted Amazon to enhance safety protocols, highlighting ongoing concerns about digital service reliability.

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Story summary

A software bug in Amazon Web Services (AWS) DynamoDB DNS management caused an outage on October 20.
The bug produced an empty DNS record that blocked access to critical services.
The outage affected thousands of sites, including Snapchat and Reddit, with more than 17 million disruption reports.
Amazon said it would disable the faulty automation and implement safety measures.

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