SAN FRANCISCO — The Internet Archive is gradually restoring its services following a cyberattack that led to a temporary shutdown of its website last week. The nonprofit organization, known for archiving billions of web pages and providing public access to digital content, faced a defacement of its website’s JavaScript code, a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, and the exposure of encrypted passwords and email addresses.
The Internet Archive confirmed that the stored data remains secure, with essential services such as the Wayback Machine and national library crawls resuming. In a blog post on Wednesday, Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, outlined that the organization is prioritizing security improvements as part of its cautious approach to restoring full service.
“Our team is working around the clock across time zones to bring other services back online,” Kahle wrote. The organization emphasized its intent to rebuild stronger defenses while bringing some services back in read-only mode as a precaution.
The incident adds to a series of recent cyberattacks targeting library systems globally. Kahle referenced attacks on institutions like the British Library and multiple public libraries in North America, noting a rising concern in the library community over potential trends in these incidents.
Further updates on the Internet Archive’s restoration efforts are being shared through its official blog and social media channels.
