Description

On the morning of Thursday, December 12, Meta's social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, experienced a widespread outage, disrupting access for users worldwide. Starting at approximately 4:37 AM AEST, those attempting to access the platforms encountered a "Sorry, something went wrong" error message. According to Downdetector, the outage resulted in a surge of reports, with Facebook in Australia receiving 107,406 complaints, Instagram peaking at 71,788, Messenger at 12,853, and WhatsApp at 11,495. Meta promptly acknowledged the issue on X (formerly Twitter) and apologized for the inconvenience, but services were not fully restored for many users until later in the day. Meta actively communicated updates on X, reassuring users that restoration efforts were progressing. The company noted that most services had resumed normal operations, though final checks were still underway. Despite these updates, the outage sparked ironic comments from users amused by Meta’s reliance on its competitor platform, X, to disseminate information during the disruption. This outage mirrored a similar incident in March 2024, when users globally were logged out of their Meta accounts. While initial concerns centered around the possibility of a cyberattack, the issue was later attributed to technical failures, although some cybersecurity experts speculated a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack might have been involved. At the time, groups such as SkyNet, Godzilla, and Anonymous Sudan claimed responsibility, sharing screenshots on Telegram, but no concrete evidence supported these claims. In the latest incident, Meta disclosed that a security breach might have played a role in the outage. While the company initially labeled the problem a "technical issue," it later confirmed the presence of a breach but provided limited details. The ongoing investigation has left questions unanswered, heightening concerns about the stability and security of Meta’s extensive social media network. This incident highlights the challenges faced by platforms of such scale in maintaining uninterrupted services and robust security.