Fanfiction Library of Alexandria AO3 down for up to a month following hack
Archive of Our Own (AO3), a major fanfiction hosting website serving millions of users worldwide, was taken offline on October 29 following a significant security intrusion. The platform’s volunteer leadership initially estimated 12 hours of downtime but later extended expectations to two to four weeks as they investigated the scope and severity of the breach. The extended timeline reflects the substantial scale and technical complexity of addressing the security incident.
AO3’s leadership provided reassurance to the community, confirming that the core archive and all user data—including bookmarks, kudos, and story content—remain intact and were not compromised by the intrusion. Donor information is stored on a completely separate system, effectively insulating financial and payment records from any breach. The team emphasized they are “still in the early stages” of determining the full extent of the security incident and continue working toward restoring normal service to the platform.