Internet Archive Hacked, 31 Million Record Compromised

The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine experienced a security breach where it was hacked and defaced, resulting in the exposure of 31 million records. Troy Hunt, creator of Have I Been Pwned, verified the authenticity of the compromised data, which included a 6.4GB SQL file containing 31 million unique email addresses, 54% of which were already in the HIBP database. Although the Internet Archive has acknowledged a DDoS attack, they have not detailed the entry point of the hack or addressed the defacement directly. The breach has led to significant concern among users about the preservation of historical data, sparking discussions on platforms like X and Reddit about potential causes, including a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) incident or a polyfill-related attack. Speculation also suggests a possible orchestrated attack by parties opposed to the Archive's mission of preserving information. The Internet Archive has confirmed the defacement was due to a JavaScript library issue, which has since been disabled, and the website is currently operating normally, with further details on the breach anticipated.

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