Wikipedia Blacklists Archive.today After DDoS Attack Discovery

The English-language edition of Wikipedia has taken the unprecedented step of blacklisting Archive.today, a controversial internet archiving service, after discovering it was used to direct a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack and tamper with archived web snapshots.

According to Ars Technica, the decision affects over 695,000 links currently pointing to Archive.today from Wikipedia articles. The ban comes after Wikipedia editors uncovered evidence that Archive.today had been weaponized to launch attacks against other websites while simultaneously manipulating archived content to conceal its activities.

What Led to the Ban

The discovery emerged through routine Wikipedia editorial processes when editors noticed suspicious patterns in how Archive.today snapshots were being used. Further investigation revealed that the archiving service had been directing traffic from its archived pages to target specific websites with DDoS attacks, effectively using its legitimate archiving function as a cover for malicious activity.

Additionally, editors found that Archive.today had tampered with archived snapshots, potentially altering historical records of web pages. This manipulation of archived content represents a serious breach of trust for an organization whose primary purpose is preserving accurate historical records of the internet.

Impact on Wikipedia Content

With 695,000+ links affected, this ban represents one of the largest-scale removals of external links in Wikipedia's history. The Wikimedia Foundation and volunteer editors now face the massive task of identifying alternative archival sources or removing references entirely where no suitable replacement exists.

The scale of this operation highlights how deeply Archive.today had been integrated into Wikipedia's citation ecosystem before the discovery of its misuse.

Broader Implications for Web Archiving

This incident raises serious questions about trust and verification in internet archiving services. Archive.today has long been a controversial player in the archiving space, known for its willingness to archive content that other services like the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine might avoid due to legal or ethical concerns.

However, this discovery suggests that Archive.today's controversial practices extended beyond content selection into active manipulation and weaponization of its archiving infrastructure.

Industry Response

The ban has sparked discussions across the tech industry about the need for greater oversight and verification mechanisms for web archiving services. Some experts are calling for industry standards that would require archiving services to implement safeguards against their platforms being used for attacks or content manipulation.

Others point out that this incident demonstrates the importance of Wikipedia's editorial oversight and the effectiveness of its community-driven verification processes in identifying and responding to threats to the platform's integrity.

What This Means for Users

For Wikipedia users, the immediate impact will be broken links where Archive.today was previously cited as a source. The Wikimedia Foundation has indicated it will work to replace these links with alternative archival sources where possible, but the scale of the task means some references may simply be removed.

For the broader internet community, this incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining multiple independent archival sources and the need for ongoing vigilance regarding the trustworthiness of services that claim to preserve digital history.

The Wikipedia-Archive.today ban represents a significant moment in the ongoing evolution of internet archiving practices and the challenges of maintaining trust in digital preservation systems.