In a recent setback for Meta users, a widespread service outage occurred on March 5th, affecting hundreds of thousands worldwide. Meta’s spokesperson, Andy Stone, attributed the disruption to a “technical issue,” apologising for any inconvenience caused.
Shortly after the incident, multiple hacktivist groups, including Skynet, Godzilla, and Anonymous Sudan, claimed responsibility. However, cybersecurity firm Cyberint revealed that the disruption might have been a result of a cyberattack, as abnormal traffic patterns indicative of a DDoS attack were detected.
The outage left Facebook and Instagram users unable to access the platforms, with many being inexplicably logged out. Some users, despite entering correct credentials, received “incorrect password” messages, raising concerns about a potential hacking event. Both desktop and mobile users, totaling over 550,000 on Facebook and 90,000 on Instagram globally, were impacted.
This isn’t the first time Meta (formerly Facebook) faced such issues. In late 2021, a six-hour outage occurred when the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routes were withdrawn, effectively making Facebook servers inaccessible. The BGP functions like a railroad switchman, directing data packets’ paths, and the absence of these routes caused a communication breakdown.
As the outage unfolded, users found themselves abruptly logged out of the platform, exacerbating the inconvenience. The disruption’s ripple effect triggered concerns among users, with
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