AT&T reported that the failure that generated a nationwide outage was not caused by a cyberattack. In a post on X, the company said:
Based on our initial review, we believe the outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used while we were expanding our network, not by a cyber attack (...) We are continuing our assessment to ensure we continue to provide the service our customers deserve.
Based on our initial review, we believe the outage was caused by the application & execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network, not a cyber attack. We are continuing our assessment to ensure we keep delivering the service that our customers deserve.
— AT&T News (@ATTNEWS) February 23, 2024
In an earlier post, the company apologized for the outage and assured that "all wireless service has been restored."
AT&T service outage
Last Thursday, AT&T acknowledged the issue on its X account and stated that it was working to restore service:
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that is happening and some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. We are working urgently to restore service to them. We encourage the use of Wi-Fi calling until service is restored.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that is happening and some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. We are working urgently to restore service to them. We encourage the use of Wi-Fi calling until service is restored. ^JessieN
— AT&T (@ATT) February 22, 2024
According to user and media reports, such as NBC, some Verizon and T-Mobile customers also reported outages. However, reports of outages at these companies were less widespread than those at AT&T..
Meanwhile, NBC reported that "Over 32,000 AT&T outages were reported by customers about 4 a.m. ET Thursday. Reports dipped then spiked again to more than 50,000 around 7 a.m., with most issues reported in Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Atlanta."
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI reported that they were investigating the reason for the outages.
