Posted: 10:19 PM PDT · October 9, 2024
The Internet Archive, a nonprofit organization dedicated to digitizing and archiving materials like web pages, has been hit with a devastating data breach and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. The assault, which was confirmed by the organization’s founder Brewster Kahle and the data breach notification site Have I Been Pwned (HIBP), has exposed 31 million unique email addresses and usernames.
A Pop-Up Warning: A Red Flag for Users
On Wednesday, several users, including those at The Verge, encountered a disturbing pop-up message when visiting the Internet Archive website. The alarming message read:
"Have you ever felt like the Internet Archive runs on sticks and is constantly on the verge of suffering a catastrophic security breach? It just happened. See 31 million of you on HIBP!"
This ominous warning was a clear indication that something was amiss with the organization’s security.
Confirmed by Have I Been Pwned
HIBP, a reputable data breach notification site, later confirmed the breach, stating that 31 million unique email addresses and usernames were stolen. This news was a devastating blow to the Internet Archive community, which relies on the organization’s services to preserve digital artifacts for posterity.
The Founder Speaks Out
Brewster Kahle, the self-described digital librarian who founded the Internet Archive in 1996, issued a statement addressing the breach and DDoS attack. According to Kahle, the organization has "fended off" the DDoS attack "for now," but acknowledged that there could be more to come.
"We’ve scrubbed our systems, upgraded our security, and will share more as we know it," Kahle wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
A Possible Connection: Hacktivist Group Claims Responsibility
A hacktivist group claimed responsibility for the DDoS attack, but not the data breach. This assertion raises questions about the motivations behind the assault and whether there is a larger conspiracy at play.
The Internet Archive’s Response
The Internet Archive has taken steps to address the security concerns. However, the full extent of the damage remains unclear, and users are left wondering what other sensitive information may have been compromised.
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