On October 20, 2025, a significant global outage of Amazon Web Services (AWS) caused widespread disruption to numerous online platforms and critical UK IT infrastructure, raising concerns about the reliance on foreign-hosted technology. This outage impacted key services such as HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, and a variety of other platforms including Snapchat, Roblox, Fortnite, Starbucks, Slack, and Ring.

The outage began early on Monday morning, with Downdetector—a site monitoring service interruptions—recording a sharp surge in reports, particularly between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. For example, Lloyds experienced nearly 7,000 outage reports at 9.31 a.m., while Halifax notified customers with an error message apologising for technical difficulties. While VodafoneThree reported their networks were functioning normally, they acknowledged that some of their apps and websites were affected.

AWS is the world’s largest cloud computing provider, offering diverse services from storage and databases to machine learning and security tools. The disruption stemmed from a malfunction within AWS's US-EAST-1 region, specifically related to its internal Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) network and a critical Domain Name System (DNS) failure. This DNS acts like the internet's phone book, directing users to the correct servers for online services. Experts explained that such DNS issues can cause thousands of systems to slow and eventually stop responding as they fail to locate services.

The outage, which persisted for hours, affected a remarkable range of global digital services from financial platforms and social media to gaming and streaming. Services impacted included Snapchat, Reddit, Netflix, Disney+, Robinhood, Coinbase, Venmo, Lyft, Duolingo, Prime Video, and popular games like Roblox and Fortnite. AWS officials stated that by mid-morning DNS issues had been largely mitigated, though some problems lingered, especially in the US.

The scale and impact of this outage have prompted renewed scrutiny by UK lawmakers. The Treasury Committee has questioned why Amazon Web Services was not designated a Critical Third Party (CTP) under new regulatory rules aimed at bolstering resilience among key service providers in the financial sector. Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier highlighted concerns about large parts of UK IT infrastructure being hosted abroad and the risks this represents. The committee has also sought details from the Treasury regarding its collaboration with HMRC to understand the failure and prevent future incidents.

Cybersecurity experts and technology leaders have pointed to this incident as a stark reminder of the deep interdependencies within global IT systems. Professor Alan Woodward of the University of Surrey noted how even small, often human-made errors in a major provider's infrastructure can cascade into widespread disruption. Meanwhile, NordVPN's CTO Marijus Briedis warned that such vulnerabilities might become targets for cyberattacks, including phishing and malware campaigns, during periods of technical instability.

The UK Treasury, along with the Bank of England, has been monitoring the situation and maintaining close communication with affected firms to manage any ongoing risks. This incident underscores the pressing need for a reassessment of dependency on foreign cloud infrastructure and the adequacy of existing regulatory frameworks to safeguard critical national services.

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Source: Noah Wire Services