China went "Offline" for 74 minutes due to a technical glitch
26.08.2025 | 17:00 |
On the night of August 20, residents of China experienced a massive digital outage that effectively cut the country off from the global internet for 74 minutes. According to observers, the incident was caused by a malfunction during the test launch of a new component of the Great Firewall of China.
As a result of the test, all outbound traffic through the main port for secure HTTPS connections was blocked. This led to a cascading failure: millions of users lost access to most foreign websites as well as the cloud services of international companies, including Apple and Tesla.
What exactly caused the malfunction—whether it was incorrect settings in the new software or the testing of experimental hardware—remains unknown. Nevertheless, this incident highlighted the vulnerability of one of the world's most powerful internet control systems, demonstrating how technical tests can lead to unpredictable consequences.
ORIENT
