Internet Archive hit by DDoS attacks amid data breach disclosure

The Internet Archive, a popular online database and home to the Wayback Machine, has been taken offline this week due to a series of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.

The disruption was first noticed when a popup appeared on the site before it went down entirely. Security researcher Troy Hunt stated that the DDoS attacks occurred as the Archive was preparing to disclose a previous data breach that exposed over 31 million records.

Hunt, who runs the haveibeenpwned service that tracks compromised accounts, believes the attacks and the breach are coincidental, suggesting multiple parties may be responsible. A DDoS group known as Blackmeta claimed responsibility for the attacks, posting a cryptic message that referenced both the United States and Hunt's HIBP service.

Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, has been updating users about the situation via X, stating that the team is working to restore the site. This comes amid other problems for the Archive, which recently lost a legal battle over e-book copyrights.

The Internet Archive, a San Francisco-based non-profit, provides free access to vast collections of digital media and software, and has been targeted by DDoS attacks in the past.