Hackers breach Internet Archive, exposing 31 million users’ data

Lauren Taylor

OVER 31 MILLION USERS’ DATA HAS BEEN EXPOSED IN A CYBERATTACK ON THE INTERNET ARCHIVE, A CORNERSTONE OF DIGITAL HISTORY PRESERVATION. THE PLATFORM, RESPONSIBLE FOR ARCHIVING BILLIONS OF WEB PAGES, SUFFERED A BREACH THAT HAS MANY ALARMED. 

THE INTERNET ARCHIVE IS WIDELY REGARDED AS THE DIGITAL MEMORY OF THE INTERNET. IT’S HOME TO ARCHIVED WEB PAGES, BOOKS, MUSIC, AND OTHER FORMS OF MEDIA, THANKS TO ITS RENOWNED “WAYBACK MACHINE.” THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION ALLOWS USERS TO BROWSE NEARLY A TRILLION ARCHIVED WEBSITES, CAPTURING SNAPSHOTS OF HISTORY THAT WOULD OTHERWISE DISAPPEAR FROM THE INTERNET FOREVER. BUT THIS WEEK, THE ARCHIVE WAS VICTIM TO A CATASTROPHIC BREACH.

THE ATTACK STARTED WITH A DISTRIBUTED DENIAL OF SERVICE… OR D-DOS ATTACK, WHICH OVERWHELMS A WEBSITE BY FLOODING IT WITH TRAFFIC UNTIL IT CRASHES. THIS RENDERED THE ARCHIVE INACCESSIBLE FOR HOURS AT A TIME. MORE CONCERNING WAS THE THEFT OF USER DATA, INCLUDING PASSWORDS. WHILE THESE PASSWORDS WERE ENCRYPTED, WEAK PASSWORDS CAN STILL BE CRACKED, LEAVING USERS VULNERABLE.

THE GROUP CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY, AN ACCOUNT ON X KNOWN AS S-N BLACK META… CITED POLITICAL MOTIVES TIED TO U-S SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL, MAKING THE ATTACK MORE THAN JUST A SECURITY BREACH… BUT ALSO PART OF A BROADER OPERATION STARTED IN MAY OF THIS YEAR. 

THE ACCOUNT ALSO INDICATED THERE MAY BE FUTURE ATTACKS PLANNED.

THIS COMES AT A CRITICAL TIME FOR THE INTERNET ARCHIVE. EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE PLATFORM FACED LEGAL CHALLENGES FROM MAJOR PUBLISHERS FOR ITS BOOK-LENDING PROGRAM, BRINGING THE NONPROFIT’S FUTURE INTO QUESTION. WITH A DATA BREACH OF THIS MAGNITUDE, THE ARCHIVE’S ABILITY TO HOST MEDIA AND PROTECT ITS USERS IS NOW IN QUESTION.

WHILE THE ATTACKERS INDICATED THAT THESE ATTACKS WERE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED… THE INTERNET ARCHIVE IS A 501-C NONPROFIT, PUBLIC CHARITY AND HAS NO AFFILIATION WITH ANY GOVERNMENT OR AGENCY. 

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M LAUREN TAYLOR.