AT&T has attributed the network outage that caused at least 70,000 phones to crash to a “software update failure.”
There has been speculation that the issue could have been the result of a cyberattack, but the company said there was “no indication of malicious activity.”
“Based on our initial review, we believe that today’s outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used while we were expanding our network, not by a cyber attack,” AT&T said.
“We continue our assessment of (the) disruption to ensure we continue to provide the service our customers deserve.”
It is still unclear where the problem originated.
Despite the initial assessment, both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI are investigating.
Americans stood outside AT&T stores seeking answers to why they were without cell service for hours
AT&T staff seemed to have no answers for the group of frustrated customers outside a store.
The outage was first reported in the early hours of Thursday morning when customers were unable to make emergency calls, and several 911 centers reported users were unable to connect.
There were reports that other networks were affected, but this is believed to have been the result of failed attempts to place calls to AT&T numbers.
Cyber experts told DailyMail.com that the issue had characteristics of a cyber attack, potentially an attempt by hackers to blackmail the company or steal user data.
But the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) reported that “the cause of the outage is unknown and there is no indication of malicious activity.”
Still, National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters Thursday afternoon that DHS and the FBI were also investigating the outage and working with the tech industry and network providers to see what can be done. do” from a federal perspective to enhance their investigative efforts to Find Out What Happened Here.
While AT&T provided the answer regarding human error, the way the outage unfolded raised many questions, such as why only some people were affected and others were not.
Lee McKnight, associate professor at Syracuse University in New York, told DailyMail.com: ‘5G networks rely on ‘virtualization of network functions’ to function.
These narrow cloud internal network services or features may, for example, provide you with a dial tone or help you navigate from one cell site to another.
“They could also run on different pieces of non-virtual, i.e. physical, hardware devices.”
McKnight, who is also an affiliate of the Institute for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (INSTC), also suspected that a specific combination of hardware, misconfiguration, and software was to blame.
On social media, customers mocked the company for the outage and some created memes comparing it to the Netflix thriller ‘Leave the World Behind’, which involves a technology-wide failure as part of the plot.
Meanwhile, other customers expressed their disdain for the outage and demanded refunds from the company.
No official reason has been given for the widespread service outage, which in turn has fueled speculation on social media that hackers are behind the outage.
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile users reported early Thursday that they are experiencing network issues across the country and in Canada.
According to DownDetector, more than 70,000 customers had reported outages on AT&T’s network.
Customers mocked the company for the outage and some created memes comparing it to the Netflix thriller ‘Leave the World Behind,’ which involves a technology glitch.
One person said: ‘Just SOS. Discontinuation of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Is leaving the world behind a trend?
Another posted: ‘Are you ready to watch the movie ‘Leave the World Behind’ now? Or are you still resisting? AT&T/cell cutoff in USA/SOS.’
Sharing an image of The Hunger Games character Katnisss Everdeen, one person said: “Me, after sending my last text messages and leaving my WIFI plagued at home to run errands on the ‘Oregon American provider’s wireless network Trail’ by ATT”.
Posting a video of a child on a swing as a fire burns around them, another person posted: “Verizon users while AT&T users experience outage.”
Another post reads: “T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon and AT&T report nationwide outages, but I still have to attend this Zoom meeting at 9am.”
While another posted: “Hey AT&T, did you try unplugging it, waiting ten seconds and plugging it back in?”
Although some made fun of the situation, other users demanded that the company reimburse them for the blackout.
Customers mock the service, considered one of the most expensive networks.
Although some made fun of the situation, other users demanded that the company reimburse them for the blackout.
One user posted: ‘AT&T needs to give me my refund. This interruption is unacceptable! This morning we are going the hotspot route. Stay safe.’
Another added: ‘I paid my phone bill yesterday and now we’re in a blackout?’ I need AT&T to pay a rebate/discount or something.’
While another said: ‘A line + a device costs almost $200, but more than 30,000 people are starting to have cell service. I feel like this shouldn’t happen. Where does my money go?
Clearly enraged, another user posted: ‘This is fucking ridiculous. AT&T, I switched 1 year ago and this is not the first time our service is not working. Fix this shit.’
Another person also demanded that their next bill be free, saying: ‘I need my next bill to be free. I have to use the hotspot on my work phone to tweet this.”
Another said, “We’re on a consumer cell phone that’s part of AT&T and we just use one phone.”
‘Our bill is around $30 a month. A discount is guaranteed for all customers in March.’
While AT&T has said they are “working urgently” to resolve the issues, customers have criticized the service, which is considered one of the most expensive networks.
In a statement, the company said: “Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning.
‘We are working urgently to restore service. We encourage the use of Wi-Fi calling until service is restored.”
The issue left AT&T iPhone users stuck in SOS mode, meaning users can only make calls to emergency services.
Cricket, which is also part of AT&T, reported it had 11,000 users down, while 2,800 Verizon customers are experiencing outages and another 1,000 T-Mobile users were also reportedly affected.
Service interruptions have been reported in New York, Boston, Washington, Montreal, Honolulu, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco.
The operator has more than 240 million subscribers, the largest in the country.
On its website, AT&T also said it is “experiencing long wait times” and apologized for the inconvenience.
Nationwide, 911 operators have warned that the outage has affected their ability to take calls.
The San Francisco Fire Department issued a statement saying they had been informed of the problem and urged citizens to try calling from a landline.
The major mobile phone companies have not yet commented on the cuts.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in Florida shared a statement saying that they had not been able to receive calls but that text messages to 911 were being answered.
The San Francisco Fire Department issued a statement saying they had been informed of the problem and urged citizens to try calling from a landline.
The department added: “If that is not an option, try contacting a friend or family member who is a customer of a different provider and ask them to call 911 on your behalf.”
While the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said they had not been able to receive calls, but they had been able to receive text messages to 911.
Some have speculated online that the widespread outage could be due to a hacking incident.
One person posted: ‘This AT&T outage definitely seems like a hack, right? There is no service here.
Another commented: ‘Strange. My AT&T phone works fine. The same phone and network next to me only says SOS Why would that be? Software hacking?
A T-Mobile spokesperson told DailyMail.com: ‘We did not experience any outages. Our network is working normally.
“Down Detector likely reflects the challenges our customers had when trying to connect with users on other networks.”
While a Verizon spokesperson said: ‘The Verizon network is operating normally.
‘Some customers experienced issues this morning when calling or texting customers served by another provider. “We continue to monitor the situation.”