Sentinel Digital Desk
The Internet Archive faced a major data breach on October 9, exposing the personal data of 31 million users. Email addresses, screen names, and encrypted passwords were compromised, raising serious concerns about data security.
What Is the Internet Archive?
The Internet Archive is an American nonprofit digital library website founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle. It provides free access to collections of digitized materials including websites, software applications, music, audiovisual, and print materials. The Archive also advocates for a free and open Internet.
How the Attack Happened
The breach occurred after hackers exploited a JavaScript (JS) library on the Internet Archive's website. A pop-up on the site alerted users to the issue, referring them to "Have I Been Pwned?"—a service that helps users check if their data has been compromised.
Cybersecurity experts confirmed that a 6.4 GB database containing user data was leaked. This included email addresses, screen names, and encrypted passwords. Shockingly, over half of the email addresses were already part of previous breaches.
Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, acknowledged the breach and the Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks targeting the platform. In response, the site disabled the compromised JS library and is now upgrading security systems.
Who Is Behind the Attack?
The hacker group "SN_BlackMeta" claimed responsibility for the DDoS attacks. They are linked to pro-Palestinian hacktivist movements and have previously targeted financial institutions in the Middle East.
Cybersecurity experts urge Internet Archive users to change their passwords immediately. The breach underscores the importance of strong, unique passwords and regular monitoring for potential compromises.