Internet Archive is back up as read-only after data breach

"Please be gentle."
By Shannon Connellan  on 
A person working on a neon computer keyboard with colorful backlighting.
It's back. But you can't save anything yet. Credit: Uladzimir Zuyeu / iStock / Getty Images Plus

The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine is back up in read-only mode following massive data breaches last week.

Brewster Kahle, founder and digital librarian of the Internet Archive, posted an update on Monday morning on X (formerly Twitter) announcing the site's return in a "provisional manner."

"Safe to resume but might need further maintenance, in which case it will be suspended again," he wrote. "Please be gentle."

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Kahle wrote the site will not yet reinstate its "Save Page Now" feature, which archives the page as it currently appears and generates a permanent URL.

Last week, the Internet Archive came under distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks from hacker groups, who accessed sensitive user data for millions of people. The non-profit site keeps saved versions of websites and other forms of digital media, accessible to anyone through its platform The Wayback Machine.

Mashable's Matt Binder has everything you need to know about the Internet Archive's data breaches and DDoS attacks.

Topics Cybersecurity

A black and white image of a person with a long braid and thick framed glasses.
Shannon Connellan

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about everything (but not anything) across entertainment, tech, social good, science, and culture.


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