Immense DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks plagued The Internet Archive's operations last week, but the platform, including its renowned 'Wayback Machine,' is now back online after crucial days. However, it was revealed that its open-source platforms are available in a read-only state, and the digital library is still assessing its systems for now which could be taken down at any moment.
It was also revealed by the platform that it is still working on fixing its systems and several site maintenance, but for those already looking to use its services, the website is up and running for all.
The Internet Archive, Wayback Machine is Back Online
The Internet Archive and its platforms including Wayback Machine are now back online according to its founder, Brewster Kahle, following the infamous DDoS attack launched by the group called 'Blackmeta.' According to the founder, several features are not yet available for the public to access when visiting their online library, asking the public to "please be gentle."
The @internetarchive’s Wayback Machine resumed in a provisional, read-only manner.
— Brewster Kahle (@brewster_kahle) October 14, 2024
Sorry, no Save Page Now yet.
Safe to resume but might need further maintenance, in which case it will be suspended again.
Please be gentle https://t.co/sb5tlvxQ26
More as it happens.
Blackmeta claimed that they were the ones responsible behind last week's attack against The Internet Archive, saying that this was only the beginning of their campaign against the digital library. It was later clarified by the threat actors that their attack against The Internet Archive was purely focusing on "testing" the platform's security system, as well as "testing the strength of our tools."
Read-Only State for The Internet Archive—Why?
Because of Blackmeta's tests, The Internet Archive suffered a significant disruption of their operations which many have relied on for many years. Despite its much-awaited return, The Internet Archive's founder regarded that their platform is back in a "provisional, read-only manner," where several renowned functions are unavailable as of press time.
The platform revealed that features like "Save Page" and such are not yet available. For now, the team is working on "further maintenance" of their site, advising users of a suspension soon.
The Internet Archive's Contributions
The World Wide Web has been a renowned source of massive information for many years now, but there is one non-profit organization who have worked on caching webpages and keeping digital records, and they are known as The Internet Archive. The platform is approaching 30 years in the tech industry and provides the world with bountiful information from old and recent website collections available for all to access.
There have been significant events on the internet's past where the Wayback Machine came in handy in bringing context or revealing more of the story, offering a look at previous versions of pages to the public. One event was when Yahoo Groups shut down over six years ago and rid its users of conversations or files, but through The Internet Archive, users were able to revisit them.
Over the years, The Internet Archive also had its run-ins with the law and concerned companies who were against its digital library efforts, claiming that this violates their copyrights, particularly with 'The Great 78 Project.' After a series of DDoS attacks which Blackmeta claimed responsibility for, their troubles seem to be over for now, announcing their awaited return.
