The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine has returned online after last week’s distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, but it remains in a read-only state for now.
The platform, known for archiving saved versions of websites and digital media, experienced significant disruption starting October 9, when hacker groups launched attacks that took the site offline and led to a data breach impacting millions of users.
Brewster Kahle, the founder of the Internet Archive, confirmed the service’s partial restoration in a provisional state through a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. He clarified that while it is “safe to resume” using the Wayback Machine, the “Save Page Now” feature—which allows users to archive web pages in their current state and generate a permanent URL—remains disabled. Kahle warned that additional maintenance might be required, and users should be prepared for possible further interruptions. He also urged users to “be gentle” with the platform during this phase.
Security researcher Troy Hunt, who runs the Have I Been Pwned? service, commented on the situation, noting that the DDoS attacks coincided with the Internet Archive’s planned disclosure of a prior data breach. This breach involved the theft of over 31 million records, though Hunt believes the overlap between the attacks and the disclosure was “entirely coincidental” due to the involvement of multiple hacking groups.
The hacking group Blackmeta has claimed responsibility for the DDoS attacks. In their statement, they asserted that the Internet Archive “belongs to the USA.” The Internet Archive, which was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in San Francisco, is a nonprofit organization that provides free access to archived web content.
While the site is currently operational in a limited capacity, Kahle has indicated that more maintenance may be necessary before the platform can fully resume its functionality.
Featured Image courtesy of Internet Archive
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