One of the World Wide Web's most prolific databases, The Internet Archive, recently suffered a barrage of DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks attributed to an organization called Blackmeta. The attacks reportedly made the service inaccessible to users, with some claiming they were unable to open the website for almost a week now.
Earlier, The Internet Archive shared a popup message for website visitors stating that it was facing a security breach. However, the company did not disclose the details behind the issue.
The Internet Archive Suffers From DDoS Attacks Caused by Blackmeta
Online users were the first to report that The Internet Archive was down after suffering cyberattacks initially caused by unknown threat actors. The online database's founder, Brewster Kahle, later confirmed that it was due to DDoS attacks. Online users shared that The Internet Archive's website previously displayed a popup message about a "catastrophic security breach."
The popup message eventually disappeared from the website. Meanwhile, the threat actor group called "SN_Blackmeta" claimed responsibility over the attack in a post on X, sharing screenshots of The Internet Archive's popup message and their attacks.
Blackmeta first revealed that the initial DDoS attack was only the first round, with the group claiming that there would be another "round" taking place on Wednesday.
Online Database Still Inaccessible Now
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
Different outlets and social media users were still unable to access The Internet Archive's online database, as of this writing. Ahead of the next wave of attacks against the platform, questions remain on what kind of attack will be deployed. Some speculate that the next attacks could be "more than just a DDoS."
Kahle and The Internet Archive team said they are already working to foil the attacker's plans to further render the online library inaccessible, but they did not give a timeline as to when it will be back in service.
The Internet Archive's Services
Online databases provide the world with massive information, and The Internet Archive has already proven itself to be one of the most valuable sources since it offers cached webpages and historical accounts. From previous versions of websites down to retro game copies on legacy operating systems, the platform offers a plethora of free digital assets.
The nonprofit library has been sharing millions of online media that are widely accessible to the public, but it also experienced run-ins with groups, labels and organizations claiming the database infringed certain works. The Internet Archive is no longer stranger to copyright lawsuits, especially the ones coming from Universal Music Group, Capitol Records, CMGI, and more.
Recently, it saw significant recognition in a partnership with Google that involved integrating its humongous web archive to the Search platform and offering users links to previous versions for more context. Unfortunately, for now, The Internet Archive is inaccessible due to the DDoS attacks targeting its online services.
