Massive DNS Failure Takes Down Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp for Six Hours
A widespread DNS configuration error knocks out all of Facebook's major platforms, impacting billions of users and halting internal company operations. Services are now back online, and the company confirms no user data was compromised during the outage.
A major DNS failure knocks out Facebook and all of its affiliated platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Oculus. Users worldwide encounter server errors when trying to load websites or send messages through the mobile apps. The outage also impacts Facebook's internal communication tools, effectively halting work for employees and creating what some describe as an unofficial company-wide snow day.
The core issue stems from a breakdown in the domain name server structure, meaning the internet simply cannot locate Facebook's servers. This six-hour downtime affects the social media giant's 2.9 billion monthly active users and causes a 5.5% drop in the company's stock. The disruption occurs while Facebook already faces intense scrutiny from the U.S. Senate following recent whistleblower leaks.
Users gradually regain access to the platforms by early Monday evening. Facebook's engineering team later confirms that a faulty configuration change causes the massive disruption. The company states that all services are back online and emphasizes that it finds no evidence of user data being compromised during the outage.