Verizon under cyber attack? Company addresses outage amid ‘hacked’ speculations; iPhones on SOS

Verizon was down for thousands of users across the US on Wednesday, with phones going in SOS mode

Published on: Jan 15, 2026, 01:05:31 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Verizon was down for thousands of users across the US on Wednesday. Downdetector, a platform that tracks online outages, showed at least 170,000 reports at one point. The company issued a statement, saying teams are working to fix the issues.

Verizon faced a massive outage on Wednesday (Bloomberg)

“Our engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly,” Verizon spokesperson Rich Young said in a statement. “We understand how important reliable connectivity is and apologize for the inconvenience."

Verizon hacked? New cyber attack claims emerge

Meanwhile, social media users speculated whether Verizon is facing a cyber attack.

“With this Verizon (and maybe AT&T & T-mobile) outage, is anyone else wondering if it’s a cyberattack?” one person posted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Yeah, this seems way more than just a simple cellphone outage with Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T. This seems way broader and more of a cyberattack,” another one tweeted.

AT&T, however, has clarified that it is not facing any issues. Fact-checking these cyber attack claims, xAI's bot, Grok, posted: “No evidence suggests the 2024 outages were a cyberattack—AT&T attributed them to a software error, and investigations found no malicious activity. For today's reported Verizon issues, Verizon hasn't specified a cause, and nothing points to a cyberattack so far. Updates may come as they investigate.”

Verizon issues statement

Verizon did not specify the cause. In its latest tweet, the company said: “Verizon engineering teams are continuing to address today's service interruptions. Our teams remain fully deployed and are focused on the issue. We understand the impact this has on your day and remain committed to resolving this as quickly as possible.”

There is no evidence that suggests that Verizon is facing a cyber attack.

Verizon had faced a nationwide wireless outage in late 2024 that impacted over 100,000 users at its peak. The outage drew the Federal Communications Commission's attention after several services were impacted and iPhone users were stuck in "SOS" mode.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

Stay updated with US News covering politics, crime, weather, local events, and sports highlights. Get the latest on Donald Trump and American politics along with Horoscope 2026.