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AO3 Fan Fiction Site Faces Extended Outage Due to Security Incident

AO3 Fan Fiction Site Faces Extended Outage Due to Security Incident

First seen 29 Oct 2026, 23:43 UTC • •
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ThreatCluster AI
ThreatCluster •October 30, 2026 at 20:46 UTC
  • •AO3 is expected to be offline for up to four weeks due to a security incident.
  • •Users are advised to change passwords, especially if reused elsewhere, due to potential data compromise.
  • •The outage significantly impacts a large community of over 11 million users and 18 million works.

The Archive of Our Own (AO3) fan fiction website has gone offline due to a security incident, with a potential downtime of up to four weeks. Initially reported as routine maintenance on October 29, the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW) later revealed that a security incident had occurred, prompting users to change their passwords. While no user data has been confirmed as stolen, the nonprofit organization has not ruled out the possibility of user information being compromised. AO3, which hosts over 18 million works and has more than 11 million users, is crucial to fan culture. Users are expressing distress over the outage, particularly as it coincides with significant fan events. OTW is still investigating the incident and will provide updates as more information becomes available.

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Timeline

2026-10-29
AO3 goes offline for maintenance
AO3 initially reported downtime for maintenance, which later revealed a security incident.
404Media.Co
2026-10-30
OTW announces potential four-week downtime
The Organization for Transformative Works indicated that AO3 might remain offline for up to four weeks due to a security incident.
Wired

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Common questions

What caused the AO3 outage?
The outage was due to a security incident, but specific details about the cause have not been disclosed.
Should I change my AO3 password?
Yes, users are advised to change their AO3 passwords and any other accounts where the same password is used.
When will AO3 be back online?
AO3 may remain offline for up to four weeks, with updates expected from the Organization for Transformative Works.