China’s notorious Great Firewall briefly disconnected its internet from the global network on Wednesday, causing massive disruptions for nearly an hour and 14 minutes. The reasons behind this event remain unclear.
According to a group called the “Great Firewall Report”, which monitors China’s internet censorship, the blockade occurred due to a malfunction or test in the system. The report confirmed that only one specific TCP port was affected, while other ports remained accessible.
The Great Firewall is a complex system used by the Chinese government for both domestic and international censorship. A recent analysis found that different components of the firewall are responsible for various tasks, but none of these fingerprints were detected during the blockade.
Internet connections in China are occasionally disrupted to prevent the exchange of information on sensitive topics. However, there is no evidence to suggest this event was related to such a purpose. It’s possible that it was a test or an error.
Source: https://www.heise.de/en/news/Background-unclear-Great-Firewall-briefly-cut-China-off-from-the-Internet-10573695.html