Update: DNS is not the cause, but FB's DNS server is a victim.

TL;DR, Their BGP AS "disappeared" from the Internet. This is extraordinarily rare, so rare that I've never seen it happen on a production network, unless it was a deliberate decision (like consolidating companies under a single AS).

For the normies, BGP routing is like how Verizon knows how to connect a call from your phone to your buddy's phone on AT&T's network. You know your buddy's phone number, but that call isn't going to get through. This is equivalent to Verizon not knowing AT&T even exists.

The BGP "issue" (I'm not saying failure because I don't think it failed) caused their DNS servers to become unreachable from the Internet, and since they run a very small DNS TTL, those IPv4 entries have aged out. What's interesting is that their IPv6 entries are still valid, but they're not native IPv6 end-to-end, so routing still breaks at IPv4-enabled segments.

There were no changes outside of the ordinary to their DNS in the last year. Also no routing changes, and I checked to see if there was a nexus between their networks and the DoD space that migrated out to Florida last year- there isn't. No planned outages scheduled, either.

While a route disappearing from BGP is common, an entire AS is not. BGP poisoning is a standard attack, but it doesn't make an AS "go away". This is more insidious.

My opinion, and not financial advice b/c I'm a retarded crayon eater, if this wasn't a US Government shutdown, it certainly is something in Russia's wheelhouse.. and Zuck pissed off Putin.

Update: DNS is not the cause, but FB's DNS server is a victim.

TL;DR, Their BGP AS "disappeared" from the Internet. This is extraordinarily rare, so rare that I've never seen it happen on a production network, unless it was a deliberate decision (like consolidating companies under a single AS).

For the normies, BGP routing is like how Verizon knows how to connect a call from your phone to your buddy's phone on AT&T's network. You know your buddy's phone number, but that call isn't going to get through. This is equivalent to Verizon not even knowing AT&T even exists.

The BGP "issue" (I'm not saying failure because I don't think it failed) caused their DNS servers to become unreachable from the Internet, and since they run a very small DNS TTL, those IPv4 entries have aged out. What's interesting is that their IPv6 entries are still valid, but they're not native IPv6 end-to-end, so routing still breaks at IPv4-enabled segments.

There were no changes outside of the ordinary to their DNS in the last year. Also no routing changes, and I checked to see if there was a nexus between their networks and the DoD space that migrated out to Florida last year- there isn't. No planned outages scheduled, either.

While a route disappearing from BGP is common, an entire AS is not. BGP poisoning is a standard attack, but it doesn't make an AS "go away". This is more insidious.

My opinion, and not financial advice b/c I'm a retarded crayon eater, if this wasn't a US Government shutdown, it certainly is something in Russia's wheelhouse.. and Zuck pissed off Putin.