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Another Internet Outage Takes Down Services in US and UK (chicagotribune.com)

Posted by msmash on from the internet-outage dept.

Reader Archangel Michael writes: Parts of the internet were down across the U.S. and in the U.K. Wednesday morning, as service provider Level 3 Communications reported an outage. Level 3, which provides internet and voice services to businesses, said the company did not yet know the cause of the outage, which temporarily disrupted or slowed service to some customers. "Our technical team is looking into this issue to determine the cause. Our priority is to ensure the reliability of our network and services. We will provide updates as more information becomes available," Nikki Wheeler, senior director of media relations, wrote in an email. The Broomfield, Colo.-based company is a Tier 1 provider, which means its network powers other internet and content providers. In 2015, it partnered with Verizon. It is also the content delivery network for Netflix and the HBO Go mobile app; a Blue Sky test of those services showed they seemed to be unaffected. ArsTechnica has more details.

34 comments

  1. Remind me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Remind me, why can't we just execute the script kiddies doing this shit?

    1. Re:Remind me by DivineKnight · · Score: 1

      Because this one might be in a sub, a little ways under water, trying to quietly patch into an undersea cable (and failing at it), in which case, sovereign immunity, or, our navy needs to invest in better sonar.

    2. Re: Remind me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_computer_criminals
      China executed 2 people for hacking

    3. Re:Remind me by Talderas · · Score: 2

      Script kiddies didn't do this shit.

      Level 3 found it to be a configuration issue this time and it's probably not too dissimilar from the issue reported in early October '16.

      http://www.networkworld.com/ar...

      Either the summary was poorly written, the source of the problem would be a key info to put in the summary, or the article was updated after the Slashdot thread was created.

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
  2. US Robotics modem for sale. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    PM me.

    1. Re:US Robotics modem for sale. by scdeimos · · Score: 1

      Obviously the uneducated troll moderators are out today. I for one think that's hilarious given how thoroughly shit USR modems were, especially the 56K ones I was continually replacing for customers.

    2. Re:US Robotics modem for sale. by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      I'm wondering whether I could do dail-up if I needed to with what I've got in the room. I've got an old Psion gold PCMCIA modem. There's a couple of 386 lappies, Win 95/98 CDs somewhere and I know I've got the drivers on floppy - I found it yesterday while looking for something else.

      I bet the modem cable is missing. The bloody thing used to disappear half the time when I still used it.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    3. Re: US Robotics modem for sale. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obviously everyone should have purchased Diamond Shotgun modems and an extra phone line.

  3. Don't know the cause? by houstonbofh · · Score: 3, Funny

    It was as if thousands of people updated their LinkedIn profiles at once, and then were silent.

    1. Re: Don't know the cause? by known_coward_69 · · Score: 0, Troll

      allah isn't a being, its a rock that fell from space

    2. Re: Don't know the cause? by riskkeyesq · · Score: 2

      Stick to Twitter, Donald.

    3. Re: Don't know the cause? by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Naah, then they would have resorted to some headchopping activity here or there

  4. CenturyLink steps in.... by Geste · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Won't we all be relieved when we start getting customer service from Level 3 that is on a par with the fabled service from CenturyLink (nee Qwest, US West, Pacific Northwest Bell).

    If the acquisition goes through, we can all rest easy.

    1. Re:CenturyLink steps in.... by houstonbofh · · Score: 1

      I was a Qwest customer when they were acquired. It was "interesting." I am now a customer of Level3... Where is the antacid?

    2. Re:CenturyLink steps in.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the acquisition goes through, we can all rest easy.

      Even better, all CenturyLink/Level 3 customers will be using this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_can_telephone

  5. This wasn't happening nearly as much before... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    This wasn't happening nearly adls much before the US gave up control of the internet. As soon as the US backed away, all the script kiddies have come out to cause trouble. Despite all the complaining about the US, this wasn't a big issue before control of the Internet was handed over. Perhaps the US should have control of the internet again to keep the troublemakers to a minimum.

    1. Re:This wasn't happening nearly as much before... by unixisc · · Score: 1

      B'cos the US Commerce Department sure had a handle on the script kiddies. Only thing that makes sense, given that what changed was ICANN becoming an international autonomous body

    2. Re: This wasn't happening nearly as much before... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You cannot possibly be serious about that. Do you even know what 'giving up control' entailed? The entity having control over DNS makes zero difference to a script kiddie other than they might use DNS to locate their target. Reality is, it worked exactly the same way before the shift from US ownership. Any perceived change in behaviour is either coincidetal or a figment of your imagination conjured up to support your idealogical view point.

    3. Re: This wasn't happening nearly as much before... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please, tell us more about how low your I.Q. is!

    4. Re:This wasn't happening nearly as much before... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your house got broken into because it has a door.

      Which makes slightly more sense than your statement.

    5. Re:This wasn't happening nearly as much before... by Travis+Mansbridge · · Score: 1

      Seeing as the internet handover doesn't happen until Dec. 1st...

  6. Re:Let it burn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let's have China build the internet this time around. China can succeed where America has failed.

  7. I'm not saying it's the Russians by Hognoxious · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm not saying it's the Russians, but it'st@.;l[po
    no carrier

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  8. Must be The Russians(tm) by clonehappy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Need a scapegoat? Server's down but you're feeling great? Just blame it on The Russians(tm), your one-stop shop for plausible deniability!

    Wife caught you in bed with the neighbor's daughter while she's home from college for the holiday? No problem, just tell her it was The Russians(tm) who made you do it. No one will question anything and whatever you did won't matter anymore because PUTIN!!

    Police on your back about that thing you did last summer? You know which thing. Make it all go away and blame it on The Russians(tm)! Who could possibly care about that poor little boy and the hit and run after you scream about PUTIN'S HACKERS?

    Just message them today, on the .ru dark web site of your choice. The Russians(tm). Your comrades in crime.

    1. Re:Must be The Russians(tm) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      At least people have stopped blaming Obama for everything.

    2. Re:Must be The Russians(tm) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least people have stopped blaming Obama for everything.

      Obama is a Russian if you ask me. We haven't seen a middling-form birth certificate and the whole Kenya thing was obviously a smokescreen.

    3. Re:Must be The Russians(tm) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Blaming Obama makes no sense in terms of Shillary's narrative.

      Can't blame ISIS. ISIS is pretty much a non-threat to the US, and after the Endless War on Terrah, people aren't going to get all uppity about it, neither.

      Since we're dead set on having a senile old coot as puppet dictator, we might as well bring back the cartoon villain of the last century - that'll divert from the Alzheimers' induced lapsus linguae and give us a more believable threat to our way of life(tm).

    4. Re:Must be The Russians(tm) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well since he's a Russian spy it's all the same, yes?

  9. level 3 is Fuookerd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Level 3 is fookered...

    fuukered..

    cross the pond, alover, peering points, transit, etc.

    crazy