Internet Archive: "We are expanding our lines of defense"

Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, has given an outlook on the future of the non-profit online platform for safeguarding the world's cultural heritage, which has been battered by various cyberattacks. "We don't know why these attacks started recently and whether they are coordinated," writes the computer scientist and activist in a blog post. "But we are expanding our lines of defense." Central services such as the popular Wayback Machine, which allows users to view old versions of websites, Archive.org and the particularly controversial Open Library were "gradually" brought back online in the week following the cyberattacks.

New functions for posting articles and works have also been introduced as part of the restructuring, explains Kahle. More will be added in the near future. "Much of the development during this time has focused on securing the services so that they can continue to run even in the event of sustained attacks," says the 64-year-old, referring to the ongoing efforts to make the portal more resilient. The Internet Archive is adapting to "a more hostile world in which DDoS attacks recur regularly". Overload attempts of this kind have been experienced again in recent days, for example. The operator is also arming itself against "more serious attacks".

Firewalls and free software help

The platform has been targeted by unknown attackers since the beginning of October. Among other things, they managed to steal 30 million user data from the organization. A Russian group of cyber criminals is believed to be behind this. There were also DDoS attacks and website defacements. In mid-October, unknown persons apparently gained access to internal IT systems and were able to send masses of emails.

"Our reaction to this was to secure our services and learn from friends," explains Kahle. He wanted to share "some important insights into the incidents without being so detailed" so as not to help the attackers. "By tightening up firewall technologies, we have changed the flow of data through our systems," reveals the creator. The aim is to "improve monitoring and control". On the downside, these upgrades have also forced fundamental changes to the underlying software, some of which is already "quite old". On the other hand, the overhauls were "long planned" or at least desired.

First-person shooter new part of the archive

"The constantly improving tools of the free and open source community are a great help, as they are available free of charge and can be used by large companies as well as non-profit libraries," reports Kahle. The problems started with complaints from book publishers about online lending. In the meantime, the music industry has also gone to court over 78-rpm records, which "puts a strain on our staff and our financial resources". The New Yorker emphasizes: "We are grateful for the support of our patrons through social media, donations and offers of help". Only these make it worthwhile to "continue to build a library for all of us".

Kahle has one recent success to report: The early first-person shooters Unreal and Unreal Tournament are now available free of charge via the Internet archive – with the official permission of the publisher Epic Games.

(nen)