The recent AWS outage on October 19, 2025, underscored the fragility of interconnected digital infrastructures, revealing how third-party services can significantly impact first-party systems across various industries. This incident illustrated the cascading effects of a single vendor’s failure, leading to widespread operational disruptions and highlighting the blurred lines of responsibility between first and third-party providers. As organizations increasingly rely on integrated platforms, the potential for cyber risks expands, necessitating a reassessment of risk management strategies. This event serves as a critical reminder for businesses to enhance their cyber resilience and rethink their reliance on third-party services to safeguard against future disruptions in an interconnected digital ecosystem.