Executive Summary
Purpose
This report analyzes two concurrent events from October 20, 2025. The first was a major outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS). The second was a disruption of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) EDGAR system. The report’s main goal is to determine the likelihood of a causal link between these incidents. It also assesses the broader systemic risks from the public sector’s growing reliance on a concentrated commercial cloud infrastructure.
Methodology
The analysis uses the Skeptical Researcher’s Framework. This framework requires a systematic investigation into claims, evidence, and hidden risks. The report examines the technical details of the AWS failure. It also reviews the SEC’s contractual dependencies on AWS. Finally, it considers critical contributing factors, like the operational limits from an ongoing U.S. government shutdown.
Key Findings
The evidence strongly suggests a direct causal link. The report concludes that the SEC’s EDGAR disruption was a direct consequence of the AWS outage. This incident highlights a significant systemic vulnerability. Critical public infrastructure is now concentrated in the hands of a few commercial providers.
This concentration creates a “democratic deficit.” Essential government functions become subject to the operational stability and failures of private companies. The report also finds that the SEC’s own “ad hoc” cloud strategy made it highly vulnerable. This flawed strategy, previously documented by its Office of Inspector General, left the agency exposed to this specific type of single-region infrastructure failure.
Recommendations
The report proposes a three-pronged strategy to mitigate these risks.
- Government Oversight: First, it calls for enhanced government oversight. Legislation should mandate comprehensive dependency mapping for all federal agencies. It should also establish a framework for the direct regulation of critical technology providers.
- Agency Strategy: Second, it urges a strategic shift within public agencies. They must prioritize architectural resilience. This includes mandating multi-region or multi-cloud designs for critical systems.
- Exit Planning: Finally, all public and private entities should develop and test comprehensive exit strategies. This will reduce vendor lock-in and ensure operational continuity during major disruptions.