Dish Network has been experiencing a major outage since Thursday, February 23rd, affecting the company's website, mobile application, and customer support systems. Meanwhile, the Boost Mobile and Boost Infinite websites both display a similar apology note.
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LAS VEGAS - JANUARY 5: A man looks at a wall of Panasonic high definition televisions on display at the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show January 5, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The electronic gadget show runs January 6-9.
Experiencing Outage
An internal systems issue has affected many services and websites operating by Dish Network. The Verge reported that the outage started last February 23rd, and is still ongoing even now. People started to complain on Twitter and Downdetector as they were not able to access IPTV services, including Watch ESPN.
Some customers also experienced trouble when logging into their online accounts to pay monthly TV and cellular bills. Every company's footprint appears to be affected by this outage, including Boost Mobile, the company's prepaid wireless carrier that it acquired in 2020.
The company clarified that wireless service is not affected by these issues and that their services will not end due to non-payment. Unfortunately, there will be difficulties with their Boost Mobile accounts, paying their bill, or reaching Boost Care.
"We apologize for any disruptions you may be having. We are experiencing an internal system issue and our teams are working hard to restore systems as possible. Thank you for your patience," the company noted. Ironically, Engadget reported that the outage started around the time that Dish was set to release its fourth-quarter earnings for the fiscal year 2022.
Chief Executive Officer Erik Carlson addressed the issue that's continuing to affect their internal communications, customer care functions, and internet sites. Meanwhile, Dish, Sling, and the company's wireless networks were operating normally. Meanwhile, he clarified that Dish, Sling, and the company's wireless networks were operating normally.
Possible Causes
Bleeping Computer reported that the outage was due to a likely ransomware attack. As per their source, computers are showing blank icons, suggesting that the company was infected with malware. A Dish Network manager was also advising its employees that the issue was caused by an outside bad actor, which is a known threat agent.
When it comes to internal problems, frontline employees have been kept on the side regarding what's going on in the company. Employees remain unclear on whether they will be paid, as remote workers will not be able to log in from work due to issues with the internal VPN service.
A Dish technician shared an internal email sent to employees on Friday, which indicates that the company still does not know the cause of the outage. "This issue is happening to everyone and nobody is able to log into VPN at this time. I wanted to reach out to you so you do not worry about not being able to reach out," the email noted.