Why Is AO3 Down? Security Incident Raises Data Breach Fears as Shutdown Could Last Four Weeks
Source: International Business Times, Singapore Edition
Published on: 2026-10-30 10:23
Archive of Our Own has detected a security incident and cannot rule out user database theft, with restoration expected to take up to four weeks. Archive of Our Own could remain offline for up to four weeks after its operator detected evidence of a security incident and warned that it could not rule out the theft of user account information. The fanfiction platform was initially expected to be unavailable for at least 12 hours for maintenance. On 30 October, however, the nonprofit Organization for Transformative Works, which operates AO3, confirmed that the outage was linked to a security incident. In its update, OTW said: 'We currently don't believe that the user database was stolen, but we are also unable to rule it out. The organisation said the investigation remains in its early stages. It is working to establish the scope of the incident and expects AO3 to remain offline for a mini...
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