Amazon Web Services (AWS) has confirmed the full recovery of its global services following a significant outage that impacted users worldwide, including those in the UAE. The disruption, which lasted nearly three hours, affected major platforms such as Roblox, Snapchat, Fortnite, and Amazon.com. AWS attributed the issue to a DNS resolution problem related to the DynamoDB API endpoint in the US-East-1 region, which caused increased error rates and latency for multiple services.
The outage, which began in the early afternoon, left hundreds of UAE users struggling with online disruptions. Snapchat users reported issues with loading and sending messages, while Fortnite and Perplexity experienced smaller-scale disruptions. AWS implemented initial mitigations within two hours, observing early signs of recovery, but warned that some requests might continue to fail until full resolution was achieved.
This incident highlights the growing reliance on cloud services and the potential vulnerabilities of such systems. AWS, a subsidiary of Amazon, competes with Google and Microsoft in providing on-demand computing power, data storage, and other digital services to companies, governments, and individuals. The outage underscores the need for robust contingency plans to minimize the impact of such disruptions on global operations.
This is not the first time the UAE has faced internet-related challenges. In September, undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea caused disruptions to landline internet, TV streaming, and mobile internet services, leaving users frustrated during a three-day weekend. As digital dependence grows, ensuring the resilience of critical infrastructure remains a pressing concern.