Cybersecurity Impact: Internet Archive Resumes Services in Read-Only Mode

Monday, 14 October 2024, 02:01

Cybersecurity concerns led to the Internet Archive's return as a read-only service after a significant cyberattack. The digital library's operations were suspended following a DDoS attack and data breach that compromised over 31 million user records. The founder, Brewster Kahle, has indicated that while services can now be accessed, further maintenance may be required.
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Cybersecurity Impact: Internet Archive Resumes Services in Read-Only Mode

Cybersecurity Incident Overview

The Internet Archive

is back online in a read-only state following a cyberattack that took down the digital library and its Wayback Machine services. A data breach and a DDoS attack offline the site on October 9th, which also resulted in the theft of a user authentication database containing 31 million unique records.

Recent Developments

Founder Brewster Kahle stated it is now safe to resume access, but further maintenance may lead to temporary suspensions of services. Users can search through 916 billion archived pages, although capturing new pages for archiving is currently unavailable.

Future Precautions

  • Services are gradually being restored, including email accounts and crawlers for National Libraries.
  • Staff is examining systems to enhance security against future attacks.

A warning pop-up purportedly from a hacker described the breach as catastrophic, which was later confirmed by Have I Been Pwned regarding the stolen data.

This incident follows recent changes by Google linking archived sites to the Wayback Machine, enhancing accessibility to older versions of websites.


This article was prepared using information from open sources in accordance with the principles of Ethical Policy. The editorial team is not responsible for absolute accuracy, as it relies on data from the sources referenced.


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