We Finally Know What Caused The AT&T Outage, And It's Probably Not What You Thought
On Thursday, over 70,000 AT&T customers suddenly lost cell service. A mere hours after the company announced that its services were back online Thursday at 2:10 p.m. CT, it released a statement that informed customers that the ”outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network.”
This is aligned with preliminary reports from ABC News, where two sources familiar with the situation confirmed that a software update glitch was to blame for the outage. In the same press release, AT&T quelled suspicions that a cyberattack caused the outage, something SlashGear had already predicted prior. A nationwide outage of this severity is a rare occurrence, so it's no surprise that many believed it was a result of malicious activity.
Following services coming back online, the cell company apologized to affected customers and assured them that it was "taking steps to ensure our customers do not experience this again in the future." However, that does not mean everyone is looking past the incident.
Government agencies investigated the cause of the attack
Because a cyberattack on a network provider could pose a security threat, multiple government agencies took notice. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agency that monitors cyberattacks — the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — was one of the agencies that looked into the issue. As of 5 a.m. ET, CISA does not know the cause of the outage but believes "there are no indications of malicious activity." This information comes from a confidential memo obtained by ABC News.
National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby explained that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was in communication with AT&T to find out more information about the outage. On Thursday afternoon, Kirby told the press that the DHS and the FBI were also investigating, working with those in the industry to determine what could be done "from a federal perspective to enhance their investigative efforts to figure out what happened here." He explained that they do not have all the answers but are working toward that goal.
Although the outage may not have been a result of a cyberattack, it still posed potentially serious issues for customers. In multiple areas — from Charlotte, North Carolina to San Francisco, California — AT&T customers could not use cell service to call 911. Local agencies in affected areas urged AT&T customers to use Wi-Fi to make emergency calls if available or use a friend's or family's phone. This event may even convince some to reconsider throwing out their home phone.