Google Cloud IAM Failure Causes Global Service Outage

On June 12, 2025, a widespread outage caused by a failure in Google Cloud's Identity and Access Management (IAM) system disrupted major internet platforms, including Gmail, Spotify, OpenAI, YouTube, Discord, Amazon Web Services, and various smart home devices. The IAM failure led to authentication and access issues across many dependent services globally. Cloudflare, which relies in part on Google Cloud, reported disruptions, but its core services remained operational. Tens of thousands of outage reports were logged, particularly from major cities in the US and India. Google Cloud engineers identified the root cause and implemented mitigations, restoring most services within hours, though some regions experienced prolonged issues. The incident underscored the risks of centralization in internet infrastructure, as failures at a single provider affected a wide range of essential digital services.