A single typo took down nearly half the internet. Yes, really. It happened at Amazon, and it could happen to you. Here’s how it unfolded—and what you can do to protect your business from costly errors. Typo risk management? It’s a thing.
A Small Typo, A Massive Outage
On February 28, 2017, Amazon Web Services (AWS) suffered a major disruption. Their S3 storage platform went offline for nearly four hours. S3 supports hundreds of thousands of websites and apps. When it went down, large parts of the internet simply stopped working.
At first, no one knew what caused the problem. Then, a few days later, Amazon released a statement. The issue was traced to a command-line typo entered by an authorized team member. The employee followed a documented playbook to remove a few servers from a billing subsystem.
Unfortunately, one of the inputs was entered incorrectly. Instead of removing a few servers, the command took out a much larger set. That group included key systems responsible for indexing and placement, which are critical components of object storage architecture.
The result? Total disruption across multiple parts of AWS.
Why a Single Mistake Did So Much Damage
The typo disabled the index subsystem, which tracks the location and metadata of stored files. Then, it cascaded to the placement subsystem, which handles where data goes. Other systems quickly followed.
Although Amazon’s infrastructure is highly advanced, it wasn’t ready to recover quickly. Restarting the affected systems took longer than expected. In Amazon’s own words:
“We have not completely restarted the index subsystem or the placement subsystem in our larger regions for many years… the process of restarting these services and running the necessary safety checks… took longer than expected.”
Service was fully restored at 1:54 PM PST. By then, the damage was done.
The Cost of One Typo
During the four-hour outage, countless businesses lost access to critical services. AWS powers about 40% of the global cloud services market. Major retailers, financial services, healthcare systems, and more were affected.
According to estimates, companies listed in the S&P 500 lost about $150 million in that short time.
Clearly, typos are not just a concern for writers and editors. They are a serious business risk for engineers, marketers, developers, operations teams, and IT professionals.
How to Protect Your Business From Typo Risk
So what can your team do to avoid a similar disaster? We’ve outlined four ways to build a better typo risk management strategy.
1. Proofread Everything Before It Goes Live
This may sound obvious, but many teams skip this step under pressure. Before sending a message, posting an update, or launching a feature—check it.
Better yet, have someone else check it. Even small communications deserve a second set of eyes.
2. Use Layered Safeguards
Amazon’s infrastructure included redundancies, which helped contain the damage. Your business should do the same.
If a typo reaches production, what systems or approvals could catch it before it causes real harm? What rollbacks are in place?
In other words, don’t rely on one safeguard. Add another.
3. Test Disaster Recovery Procedures
Amazon hadn’t restarted key systems in years. That made the recovery process slower and more complex.
Likewise, your organization may not have tested its own recovery procedures recently. Run practice scenarios regularly. That way, you won’t be surprised during an actual crisis.
4. Get Expert Help
Let’s face it—no one can catch every error alone. Successful organizations rely on support systems that include experts in proofreading, documentation, systems management, or risk mitigation.
If your team could use a partner for content accuracy or final reviews, we can help. We work with businesses of all sizes to reduce communication risk and improve clarity.
Don’t Let a Typo Derail Your Business
A single typo caused one of the largest cloud outages in internet history. It disrupted critical services and cost millions of dollars. But it also highlighted something every organization needs to remember:
Small mistakes can cause big problems—unless you plan ahead.
If your business relies on accurate communication, secure systems, or well-documented workflows, don’t leave those details to chance. With a strong typo risk management strategy, you’ll protect your brand, your clients, and your bottom line.
See also:
Proofreading Services for Error-Free Final Review