Just Sos You Knows, AO3 Is Down Under A DDOS Attack Right Now. Theyve Been Coming Back In Little Blips

Just sos you knows, AO3 is down under a DDOS attack right now. They’ve been coming back in little blips and then disappearing again. It’s been several hours. (For reference, it’s currently 3 p.m. eastern, July 10, 2023.)

https://twitter.com/AO3_Status/status/1678468065070030856

The culprit (as with a few other DDOS attacks recently) is Anonymous Sudan, a group that is likely Russian, not Sudanese. The ‘reason’ they gave–that AO3 is “full of disgusting smuts and other LGBTQ+ and NSFW things,” is thin and probably not completely legit, though still legitimately concerning.

The AS claim: https://twitter.com/FalconFeedsio/status/1678397195039526912

Reporting on AS: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-28/anonymous-sudan-does-group-behind-microsoft-cyberattack-have-ties-to-russia (you can use archive.ph to get this one, 12ft doesn’t seem to work)

As noted here, https://twitter.com/honeyskeleton/status/1678449598703050769:

DDOS protection is expensive especially for a high traffic site like ao3. And it’s uniquely vulnerable as an independent site without ads or other corporate support. SPECIFICALLY targeted bc of its queer works and yet ppl will still complain every time they ask for donations lmao 

So, again, when AO3 comes back online, please don’t go hard with refreshing all your tabs. Please do remember to download fics you love early and often as  you continue in your whole ~reading journey~. And please do support AO3 through a dono or becoming a donating member, if it is possible for you to do so.

if you want to help, stay off of ao3 for the time being. The attackers are ddos-ing the website and the fewer server pings we add, the easier it will be for ao3 to fix.

UPDATE: While the organization claiming responsibility for the attack claims it is for "LGBTQ and NSFW content", ao3 has said that this is likely not the actual reason.

I support the troops (the ao3 volunteer admins) in their war on terror (counter measures against whatever fucker decided to ddos my only source of dopamine)

I am begging everyone on tumblr reading this right now. PLEASE wait a few hours before refreshing your tabs. Ao3 was not down because of maintenence, but a ddos attack and right now the last thing they need is thousands of people refreshing all their tabs.

As a fic author who rarely gets notes, commenting and sending kudos can wait. Reading can wait. Please, for the next few hours, just do something else until we are certain ao3 is no longer under attack.

The staff at ao3 need rest. Please.

Please Reblog is Your Blog is Safe for Non-Binary People.

If my mutuals can’t rb this then we can’t be mutuals

*gets on tumblr and notices that Supernatural is trending* hmm, that’s probably not good. *checks the Trending page and ao3 is at number one* oh no. *the first post is the destiel confession* oh no. *ao3 is down* No no no no-