Internet traffic hijack dogs Google

Internet traffic hijacking disrupted several Google services Monday, including search and cloud-hosting services.

Network-monitoring companies say service interruptions lasted for nearly two hours and ended about 5:30 p.m. EST. The incident was suspicious because it rerouted data traffic to Google through Russian and Chinese telecommunications companies.

Google confirms Monday’s disruption and says it believes the cause was external.

Alex Henthorn-Iwane, an executive at the network-intelligence company ThousandEyes, says the hijacking was the worst one affecting Google that his company has seen.

Such rerouting can facilitate espionage and financial theft. It can knock essential services offline. Henthorn-Iwane says this case may have been a war-game test of hijacking capabilities by a nation-state.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.