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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Don't blame a cyber-attack for the shutdown of Facebook and Instagram overnight.
Facebook says the outage that made the sites inaccessible around the world for about an hour was the result of a technical change it had made. A statement says it was a change affecting "configuration systems."
Users of computers and Facebook's mobile app reported losing access in Asia, the United States, Australia and the U.K. After Facebook was restored, some users in Asia reported that the site was loading slowly or not functioning fully.
Although a group claimed responsibility on Twitter for the outages, a security consultant says a technical fault was more plausible. He points out that an attack on one of Facebook's data centers would have affected just one region.
Facebook has about 1.35 billion active users, and its Instagram site has about 300 million.
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123-v-27-(Kyle McKinnon, correspondent)--Facebook says an outage lasting an hour made its site inaccessible to users worldwide. Correspondent Kyle McKinnon reports. (27 Jan 2015)
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125-c-19-(Kyle McKinnon, correspondent)-"says, a cyberattack"-Correspondent Kyle McKinnon reports if you're wondering about all of the online chatter regarding a Facebook disruption, the social media giant says it only has itself to blame. (27 Jan 2015)
<<CUT *125 (01/27/15)££ 00:19 "says, a cyberattack"
APPHOTO NY110: File-This April 9, 2012, file photo shows Instagram being demonstrated on an iPhone in New York. Social media websites Facebook and Instagram have stopped working Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. The problem is affecting users in Australia but also in other countries including the United States. (AP Photo/Karly Domb Sadof, File) (9 Apr 2012)
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APPHOTO NY109: File- This May 16, 2012, file photo shows a Facebook logo displayed on the screen of an iPad in New York. Social media websites Facebook and Instagram have stopped working Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. The problem is affecting users in Australia but also in other countries including the United States. (AP Photo/James H. Collins, File) (16 May 2012)
<<APPHOTO NY109 (05/16/12)££
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