Can the Internet be shut down all over the world?

The Internet has become an integral part of the daily lives of most people around the world today. From online reading to earning, shopping, banking, entertainment and news, all services are included in our daily lives. And, the center of all these online services is the Internet. That is, without the Internet, all the aforementioned activities in our lives come to a standstill.

Can you imagine a day where the Internet is shut down all over the world. In fact, just imagining it can be terrifying for many people. However, the question of whether this is possible is natural. The simple answer is that the possibility of the Internet being shut down all over the world is low, but not impossible.

After all, what could cause the Internet to be shut down all over the world?

Global cyber attack

If a cyber attacker one day carries out a cyber attack with such a terrible plan that it destroys the main infrastructure of the Internet such as root servers, DNS system or Internet exchange points, then the Internet service could be shut down all over the world.

For example, the Dyn DDoS cyberattack in 2016 brought down social media sites like X, Netflix, and Reddit for several hours.

Solar storms or astronomical events

Solar storms, or solar storms, that emanate from the sun, can severely disrupt the Earth's magnetic field and technological devices and networks, including telecommunications.

In some cases, Starlink satellites have been affected by such events. However, this impact is not limited to satellites. If a solar storm becomes very large, communication networks can also be disrupted.

Similarly, the mainstay of delivering the internet around the world is the cables laid under the sea. If for some reason these cables are damaged or disrupted, internet service is affected.

According to researchers, if an event similar to the Carrington event that occurred in 1859 is repeated, the internet could be completely shut down for a while around the world.

World War Can Also Be a Cause

If there is a global war like World War III, it can also affect the internet service around the world. We have seen this situation in the war between Ukraine and Russia, where internet service was disrupted when Ukraine's communication infrastructure was destroyed. Later, internet service was restored there with the help of Starlink satellites.

In addition, if a service on which many other services depend is shut down, it can also have a huge impact. Such an incident was seen in the Cloudfare service in 2024. Due to which airlines and banking services were affected around the world. Some services could only be started after many days.