# AO3 security incident could disrupt service for up to four weeks

_Published Friday, October 30, 2026 at 1:14 PM EDT · Security · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![AO3 security incident could disrupt service for up to four weeks — Primary](https://media.wired.com/photos/6ae3d487c091c8b8d1ebfb9c/191:100/w_1280,c_limit/culture_ao3_crash_fanfic_meltdown.jpg)

Archive of Our Own has shut down temporarily after a security incident, with administrators warning that full service restoration could take up to four weeks. An October 29 notice said the fan-fiction platform might return sooner with some features disabled.

AO3 said it was still determining the incident's scope. It did not believe its user database had been stolen but urged users to change their passwords. Run by the nonprofit Organization for Transformative Works, the site has 11 million users and hosts more than 18 million original works.

## Sources

- [WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/people-are-creating-survival-guides-to-cope-with-the-ao3-apocalypse/)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/AB1LrtrNboXEqBMfd_0UVq
Published: 2026-10-30T17:14:47.306Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-29T00:00:00.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-30T19:46:32.860Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)