Massive DDoS attack knocks out major sites including Twitter, Tumblr, and Reddit

Having trouble accessing Twitter, Reddit, PSN, and Battlefield 1 servers today? The good news is, such as it is, is that you're not suffering alone. USA Today reports that at least two massive DDoS attacks have blocked access to major sites including all of the above and many others, across the US and in parts of Europe.

The first attack hit around 7:10 am ET, followed by another at 9:30 am. Internet performance company Dyn Inc. said on its status page that it has been working to mitigate multiple attacks; most recently, it said "the advanced service monitoring issue has been resolved," but its engineers "are still investigating and mitigating the attacks on our infrastructure." At the time of writing, however, Dyn.com itself was still down.

The situation is serious enough that the White House said the Department of Homeland Security is "monitoring the situation," although there is currently no indication as to who might be responsible. (Hail Hydra.)

The attacks are "consistent with record-setting sized cyberattacks seen in the last few weeks," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. According to Reuters, the FBI is also investigating.

"This is not a script kiddie," Markus Jakobsson, the chief scientist at computer security firm Agari, said. "This not just an instant job, this is something that was probably worked on for weeks if not for months by really competent people."

The scale of the attack means it may even be the result of nation-state activity, although again, as far as I know, responsibility hasn't been claimed. Of course, it's far more difficult to stay abreast of the situation than it would normally be, because my most immediate source of updates for such things—Twitter—remains out of commission.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.