AO3 is offline after an intrusion, possibly for weeks

AO3, home to 18M+ works, is offline after a security incident; restoration could take up to four weeks.

According to Wired and 404 Media, AO3 and its operator, the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW), say the site is down because of a security incident. It was first posted as "down for maintenance" on October 29. One founder described the event to The New York Times as "an intrusion."

Per Wired, AO3 says full restoration could take up to four weeks, with a possible earlier return in a "degraded state." 404 Media reports OTW put it at around two weeks, up to a month. AO3 says it does not believe its user database was stolen, urges users to be cautious and change their site passwords, and does not expect data loss. An OTW representative told CNET the outage is unrelated to the recent PHP security issue because "the Archive uses Ruby on Rails," per 404 Media.

AO3 says it is "still in the early stages of response [and] determining its scope." In the meantime, users are sharing downloaded stories in Google Docs "survival guides," and some authors are posting on other sites.

Watch for: an official restoration update and any details on the scope of the incident from AO3 and OTW.

“we are still in the early stages of response [and] determining its scope.”AO3 status update, via Wired

The facts we checked

According to The New York Times, 404 Media and Wired, citing AO3 and the Organization for Transformative Works

1. AO3 was taken offline after what one of its founders called "an intrusion."Quote · The New York Times
2. AO3 is down because of a security incident, according to updates posted by AO3 and its operator, the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW).Fact · Wired; 404 Media
3. The site was first posted as "down for maintenance" on October 29. A later status update confirmed the cause was a security incident.Fact · Wired; 404 Media
4. AO3's posted statement said full restoration could take up to four weeks. The site might return sooner in a "degraded state" with some features disabled.Reported · Wired
5. According to 404 Media, OTW said restoration would take around two weeks but could take up to a month.Reported · 404 Media
6. AO3's update said: "we are still in the early stages of response [and] determining its scope."Quote · Wired
7. AO3 said it did not believe its user database had been stolen, but urged users to be cautious and change their passwords for the site.Reported · Wired
8. AO3 has said in status updates and to journalists that it does not expect any data loss.Reported · 404 Media
9. An OTW representative told CNET the outage is not related to the recent PHP security issue because "the Archive uses Ruby on Rails."Quote · 404 Media
10. AO3 hosts 18 million stories.Figure · The New York Times
11. The site has 11 million users, according to a 2026 press release, and hosts more than 18 million original works.Figure · Wired
12. AO3 is run by the Organization for Transformative Works, a nonprofit founded in 2007. 404 Media reports OTW is entirely volunteer-run.Reported · Wired; 404 Media
13. Users are making Google Docs of downloaded stories, called "survival guides," and some authors are posting on other sites such as Space Battles while AO3 is down.Reported · Wired; 404 Media
14. Sufficient Velocity put a banner on its homepage: "We've had a big influx of guests due to the AO3 outage."Quote · 404 Media

Sources

• The New York TimesHack Could Leave AO3, a Popular Fan Fiction Site, Offline for Weeks
• 404 Media‘Wake Up Call:’ Fanfiction Writers and Readers React to AO3 Outage
• WiredPeople Are Creating ‘Survival Guides’ to Cope With the ‘AO3 Apocalypse’