The breach of the website, best known for its Wayback Machine digital archive, compromised usernames, email addresses, and encrypted passwords.
Founder Brewster Kahle confirmed that the cyberattack, which occurred earlier this week, also involved a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, temporarily taking the site offline.
Yesterday’s DDOS attack on @internetarchive repeated today. We are working to bring https://t.co/Hk02WjumkL back online.
— Brewster Kahle (@brewster_kahle) October 9, 2024
Kahle assured users that the Archive is working to upgrade its systems and restore services safely, though the site remained down as of Thursday evening.
The breach was first detected on the platform “Have I Been Pwned” (HIBP), which reported the exposed data after receiving initial breach details on Sept. 30.
Cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt, who runs HIBP, believes the attack likely took place a week before the DDoS incident and suggests multiple attackers may be involved.
The Internet Archive, founded in 1996, provides free access to vast digital resources, including books, videos, and archived websites. In the wake of the breach, the organization has cleaned its systems and implemented security upgrades.
