The Internet’s Backup Battles: When Archives Become Weapons
The internet relies on preservation. But what happens when the tools designed to safeguard information are weaponized? A recent dispute involving Archive Today, a free and speedy web archive, has escalated into a denial-of-service (DDoS) attack and is forcing Wikipedia to reconsider its reliance on the platform. This incident highlights a growing tension between the open web, archiving efforts and the potential for malicious actors.
A Researcher, a Complaint, and a DDoS
The current situation stems from a 2023 blog post by engineer Jani Patokallio, detailing how Archive Today functions. While the post was largely positive, even suggesting donations to the archive, it touched upon the identity and potential income sources of the site’s operator(s). Following a recent FBI inquiry into Archive Today, a GDPR complaint was filed against Patokallio by someone identifying as “Nora Puchreiner,” alleging the post contained personal and defamatory information.
Shortly after, Patokallio’s blog became the target of a sustained DDoS attack. He discovered that Archive Today was embedding JavaScript code that triggered repeated requests to his blog, effectively overwhelming its servers. The attack has been ongoing since January 11th, and has even been partially mitigated by ad-blocking plugins like uBlock Origin, which remove the malicious code.
Wikipedia’s Dilemma: Balancing Access and Security
Wikipedia, a major user of Archive Today links – with potentially 700,000 links at risk – is now grappling with a difficult decision. The online encyclopedia is considering removing all links to Archive Today as an emergency measure. While approximately 15% of archived content linked from Wikipedia is considered irreplaceable, the security risk posed by the malicious code is significant. A discussion is currently underway to determine the best course of action.
Archive Today vs. The Wayback Machine: A Matter of Rules
The incident underscores the differences between popular web archives like Archive Today and the more well-known Wayback Machine. While the Wayback Machine is widely used, it can be slow and doesn’t always capture all elements of a webpage, particularly those relying on JavaScript. Archive Today, in contrast, prioritizes speed and completeness, archiving even dynamically loaded content and ignoring “robots.txt” directives – rules websites use to control automated crawlers.
This “no rules” approach, while beneficial for preservation, similarly allows Archive Today to operate in a gray area. It reportedly uses botnets to evade blocking attempts and maintains numerous accounts to bypass paywalls, potentially attracting unwanted attention from authorities and sparking conflicts like the one with Patokallio.
The Future of Web Archiving: A Tightrope Walk
This situation raises critical questions about the future of web archiving. As archives become more sophisticated and powerful, the potential for misuse also increases. The incident with Archive Today demonstrates that even well-intentioned archiving efforts can be exploited for malicious purposes.
What’s Next for Archiving?
Several trends are likely to shape the future of web archiving:
- Increased Scrutiny: Web archives will likely face greater scrutiny from both legal authorities and website owners, particularly regarding data privacy and copyright.
- Decentralized Archiving: Decentralized archiving solutions, leveraging blockchain technology, could emerge as a way to enhance security and transparency.
- Enhanced Security Measures: Archive operators will demand to invest in robust security measures to protect against attacks and prevent their platforms from being weaponized.
- Collaboration and Standards: Greater collaboration between archiving organizations and the development of common standards could help to address the challenges of preserving the web.
FAQ
What is Archive Today?
Archive Today is a free web archiving service that aims to capture snapshots of webpages quickly and completely.
Why is Wikipedia considering removing links to Archive Today?
Wikipedia is considering removing links due to a DDoS attack originating from Archive Today, which poses a security risk to its users.
What is a DDoS attack?
A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal functioning of a website or service by overwhelming it with traffic.
Is the Wayback Machine affected by this?
Currently, the Wayback Machine is not directly involved, but the incident highlights broader security concerns for all web archiving services.
Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
