On the morning after the internet experienced a significant outage, individuals faced practical challenges in performing daily tasks, such as grocery shopping or communicating with employers. This incident was triggered by a glitch at a data center in Virginia, highlighting the vulnerabilities of the internet infrastructure that, despite its pivotal role in modern society, relies on aging systems and physical components.
Experts suggest that a significant internet disruption could result from various factors, including targeted cyberattacks, extreme weather events damaging key data centers, or unforeseen software failures. For instance, a tornado in Iowa could impact critical Google data centers, disrupting services like YouTube and Gmail, reminiscent of previous outages that have affected major platforms.
Although such disruptions might be inconvenient, the internet at its most basic level could still function. Nevertheless, increased reliance on centralized services raises concerns about potential failures. For example, should a heatwave impact data centers in Virginia or a cyberattack target clusters in Europe, the resulting strain could overwhelm backup systems, severely limiting internet accessibility.
Jeffrey Madory, an expert in internet infrastructure, acknowledges that while undersea cable cuts often capture attention, they typically cause minimal disruption unless multiple cables are affected simultaneously. The more pressing risk could be an operational error in critical components of the internet’s architecture, such as the DNS system, which remains largely resilient but not invulnerable.
In the event of a large-scale failure, experts propose that the internet could be significantly impacted, with essential services like banking and communication likely disrupted. Contingency plans exist to address such issues, although details around their execution remain vague. The broader challenge lies in the uncertainty surrounding the recovery of a fully shut-down internet system, emphasizing the complexity of today’s interconnected digital landscape.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/26/internet-infrastructure-fragile-system-holding-modern-world-together