The Internet Archive Restores Services After Cyberattack; Now Read-Only

The Internet Archive: Recovery After Cyberattack

The Internet Archive, a crucial digital library, has resumed operations in a provisional, read-only mode following a significant cyberattack that took place on October 9th. The attack, which combined a data breach with a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) assault, has raised concerns about the security of digital archives.

What Happened During the Cyberattack?

On October 9th, the Internet Archive experienced a massive disruption, leading to the shutdown of its services, including the widely-used Wayback Machine. This incident affected access to a treasure trove of archived web pages, as well as the vital user authentication database which contained information on approximately 31 million unique records.

Details of the Data Breach

The cyberattack resulted in the theft of sensitive data, including:

• Email addresses
• Screen names
• Hashed passwords
• Other internal data related to user accounts

This breach was confirmed by the popular service, Have I Been Pwned, which provides information about data security incidents. The incident was marked by a claim from a hacker stating that the Archive had suffered a "catastrophic security breach."

Restoration of Services

According to Brewster Kahle, the founder of the Internet Archive, the organization is taking careful steps to restore services while enhancing security measures. "Safe to resume but might need further maintenance, in which case it will be suspended again," Kahle stated.

Accessing the Wayback Machine

While users can now access the Wayback Machine to explore its vast archive of over 916 billion web pages, there is a limitation: users cannot currently capture new web pages into the archive. However, the Internet Archive has been gradually reinstating various services including email accounts and crawlers for National Libraries.

Impact on Users and Future Outlook

This cyber incident comes shortly after Google began linking to archived web pages in the Wayback Machine, making it an essential resource for anyone seeking older versions of websites. The absence of these links would have diminished access to valuable content preserved in the Internet Archive.

In the coming weeks, as the Internet Archive overcomes the effects of this attack, users should remain vigilant about their personal information and consider using strong, unique passwords to protect their accounts.

For further insights on digital security, visit the Digital Security Journal.