Cyberattack sends International Meteor Organization crashing back to Earth
Attack dealt a 'critical blow' to aging infrastructure, with several weeks of disruption expected
The International Meteor Organization (IMO), a Belgium-based nonprofit focused on meteor observations, is currently experiencing significant downtime following a cyberattack that has critically damaged its aging infrastructure. Much of the website remains offline, with the organization providing a bare-bones holding page to visitors.
IMO has not disclosed the exact timing of the attack, how the attackers gained access, or whether any data was accessed or encrypted. The organization, which collects reports from observers of bright meteors or fireballs, has prioritized restoring this capability, which is now back online. Other sections of the site remain unavailable as the organization rebuilds its infrastructure.
The extent of the damage and any potential data breaches are still unclear, raising questions about the safety of user or contributor information. IMO, accustomed to documenting spectacular celestial events, hopes this incident won't join the ranks of compromised systems.
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