Foul Play?: How A Configuration Error At MainOne Led To A Disruption Of Google Services
A Nigerian internet service provider said Tuesday that a configuration error it made during a network upgrade caused a disruption of key Google services, routing traffic to China and Russia. Even with MainOne"s explanation, there was speculation that Monday"s 74-minute data hijacking might not have been an accident. Google"s search, cloud hosting and corporate-focused G-Suite collaborative tools were among services disrupted. "Everyone is pretty confident that nothing untoward took place," MainOne spokesman Tayo Ashiru said. But Jake Williams, president of Rendition InfoSec and a former U.S. government hacker, said a skeptic should not rule out meddling by a nation-state with something to gain. The level of corruption in a country like Nigeria is well known, he said. The type of traffic misdirection involved can knock essential services offline and facilitate espionage and financial theft. It can also be used to block access to information by sending data reque...