Hackers Claim 'Catastrophic' Internet Archive Attack

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Newsweek

Published Oct 10, 2024 at 7:36 AM EDT | Updated Oct 10, 2024 at 10:15 AM EDT


A group linked to a pro-Palestinian hacktivist movement has launched a catastrophic cyberattack revealing the details of 31 million people, compromising their email addresses and screen names.

An account on X under the name SN_BlackMeta claimed responsibility for the attack on The Internet Archive, a nonprofit organization, and implied that further attacks were planned. The Internet Archive is known for its digital library and the Wayback Machine. SN_BlackMeta has previously been linked to an attack against a Middle Eastern financial institution earlier this year, and a security firm has linked it to a pro-Palestinian hacktivist movement.

Encrypted passwords were also exposed and although these are relatively safe, users have been advised to change their passwords.

This breach was accompanied by a series of Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks that temporarily took down the organization's website, archive.org, on Wednesday and is continuing to affect the website currently. Wayback Machine is also inaccessible right now.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/catastrophic-internet-archive-hack-hits-31-million-people-1966866

[Zorro]

1. How to win friends and influence people

[RussBLib]

2. Great. Now they're attacking history

Revisionist history underway.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. I was trying to use it this morning, but it was unavailable

I've used it often, but I don't remember ever having to sign up.

Does anyone know what an Internet Archive userid gave you?

[JoetheShow]

4. I've never signed up but have used it often

I download old books and can watch (some) old movies or listen to old music. BTW, I saw an article recently that they were being sued for copyright infringement and might be forced into bankruptcy. I personally think that would be a great loss for the country and the world.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. It'd be a huge loss for Wikipedia if it did go

So many of Wikipedia's internet sources disappear over time, due to changed URLs, reorganisation of pages, and so on. The Internet Archive is about the only way of keeping them - either using the archived page itself, or getting the relevant information from the archived page, then googling to find a current copy.

And its copies of old books are invaluable - that's what I was trying to get earlier today - a book with information about a possible ancestor, for amateur genealogy.

[LeftInTX]

11. If you are an uploader to the site, you probably need a UserID and password. Same with people who maintain the site.

If assume if you want to save lists, you would need a log in. I have one for YouTube, so I can save videos to watch later. I also create playlists. I assume the same with Internet Archive. They have a bunch of old SNL episodes. I believe there was an option to save it for later?

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Maybe there's a lot more to the site than I've seen - 31 million seems a lot for uploading

Yes, perhaps there are lists on it (I've never noticed anything about them).

[LeftInTX]

13. Well in order to save anything for later viewing in You Tube, I needed an account.

There is tons of info there and I would think you would need a login in order to save your searches/research etc.

[slightlv]

5. I've used it in the past, but I can't remember ever having

to "sign up" for it. It was just always available. I'd go to collect a website design I did way back "when" or check it for my Mom when she was doing sites. Occasionally, I'd lose a reference file someplace and go back to the Wayback Machine to catch a copy of it from one of my old sites.

Man, this really sucks. I remember when the Internet was new and basically reference material-based. We share information, we shared how we did designs, etc., and not a commercial site anywhere to be found. Now you can hardly get away from the commerce sites, and forget about the Ads! At least I use Ad Blocker. But doxing anyone is NOT going to garner any sympathy for their position. And releasing info scraped from the Wayback Machine is nothing more than doxing people to the worst possible criminals around, IMO.

[JoetheShow]

6. I absolutely agree!

I was here when 56 K dial up was considered blazing fast. I don't miss those days, but the crap you have to wade through on Google to find what you really want is frustrating. The Internet Archive does a wonderful service just to be doing a wonderful service. This is like mugging a nun to call attention to your cause.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Inconveniencing & harming bystanders is never convincing. It is attention-getting, though. . . . . nt

[Angrybob2001]

9. Tin foil hat theory

My conspiracy addled mind immediately wondered if the attack was actually a misdirection to change some archive data to make it look like theres dirt that was "swept under the rug" and hidden. I doubt it was that, but when i first saw the story i wondered why anyone would attack them.

[quakerboy]

10. why?

[Montauk6]

14. Easy... Knowledge is power...

Not to get too tinfoil but there seems to be a spate of moves afoot to stem the free flow of information, be it this DDOS, be it MAGA pockets around the country stamping out history and banning books (Lost Cause 2.0).