Businesses are increasingly relying on complex technological systems to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and remain competitive. However, integrating these technologies into existing business processes can be a challenging task. This is where system integrators play a pivotal role. Acting as intermediaries between technology providers and businesses, system integrators ensure that different technological components work together ... Read more

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Have you ever felt the urge to buy something just because everyone else in your group has it? Social pressure can significantly impact our spending habits, often leading us to make financial choices that we wouldn’t normally consider. From overspending to accumulating debt, the influence of our social circles can steer us away from sound ... Read more

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THIS is the incredible moment a stranded sailor clinging to his life from a coolbox was rescued after Hurricane Milton.

The boat captain survived a “nightmare” as he was plucked from the sea by a rescue chopper after his vessel sank.

US Coast Guard released the incredible footage in the aftermath of the hurricane – that has so far killed 16 people.

Florida is still counting the costs and the human toll of Milton which barreled into the sunshine state late on Wednesday.

The fisherman- who has not been identified – was saved from certain death when he was rescued from the Gulf of Mexico.

He was left clinging on to a cooler some 30 miles out to sea off Longboat Key before he was found by the helicopter.

Coast Guard officials said the man had survived a “nightmare scenario”.

His fishing boat had become disabled off the coast on Monday – and he had returned to the vessel to try and save it early on Wednesday.

But as the storm worsened – it was too late for him to escape.

Emergency workers told him to wear a life jacket, keep an emergency radio on, and ride out the storm.

Milton then crashed into Florida bringing with it 120mph and dozens of tornadoes which ripped across the state.

But as the sun rose – the Coast Guard managed to find the man, estimated he had survived winds of up to 90mph and swells of 25ft.

He was found clinging to the cooler, wearing his life jacket, and clutching his emergency beacon.

Footage shows the moment the helicopter approaches the man hanging onto the white box in the churning sea.

Normally used for storing beers and snacks, he turned the cooler into a life-saving buoyancy aide.

The helicopter swept in and lowered a rescuer who plunged into the sea and saved the captain.

Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Dana Grady said: “This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner.”

AFP

Residents are rescued from an their second-story apartment complex in Clearwater[/caption]

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A boat rests in a yard after it was washed ashore[/caption]

Reuters

A view shows a collapsed construction crane that fell on the building in Tampa[/caption]

AP

A house lies toppled off its stilts after the passage of Hurricane Milton[/caption]

AP

Cars move slowly after Hurricane Milton damaged power lines[/caption]

AP

The roof of the Tropicana Field is damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region[/caption]

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A resident on Magnolia Avenue cradles his dog in a carrier in the floodwater[/caption]

Hurricane Milton left a devastating trail of destruction after carving a deadly path across Florida.

The monster storm triggered at least 27 tornadoes to rip through the state.

It has claimed at least 16 lives and plunged millions into darkness.

Cities were pounded with ferocious winds of up to 120mph and rain, intensifying the misery wrought by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago.

Milton smashed into Florida as a Category 3 storm at about 8:30 pm on Wednesday near Siesta Key.

Dozens of people have been rescued from battered homes – and rescues are continuing across Florida.

Governor Ron DeSantis has warned the “water levels are forecast to continue rising”.

But he said the hurricane was “not the worst case scenario.”

DeSantis praised emergency workers and said there was still “work to do.”

He added: “The storm did weaken before landfall and the storm surge, as initially reported, has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene.

“Right now, it looks like Sarasota County had the most significant storm surge.

“Likely somewhere between eight to 10ft, and remember with Helene we had 15 to 20 feet up in Taylor County.”

More than 80,000 people spent the night in shelters after thousands evacuated.

KROGER has admitted that rolling out a particular service could improve customers’ in-store experiences.

The grocer, which has more than 1,000 stores across the US, shared a revelation after a customer encountered issues with an in-house app.

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Kroger has revealed how customers’ experiences can be improved (stock)[/caption]

He claimed he was in Fry’s Food Store, which Kroger owns, when the problems started.

In an X post, the shopper said he had to walk out of the outlet to get a better signal.

He urged Kroger to roll out Wi-Fi services across its portfolio of stores.

Kroger responded to the shopper’s frustration and welcomed his suggestion.

“Offering Wi-Fi in stores would definitely enhance the shopping experience and make it easier for customers to use the app,” a spokesperson said.

Shoppers have lashed out at the retailer when it comes to accessing the internet in store.

Another customer said he struggled to download digital coupons and deals, according to an X post.

Kroger apologized and promised to escalate the matter for him.

Shoppers across the country have complained about struggling to get a signal.

Customers have claimed the lack of service has made it difficult to scan items.

The U.S. Sun has approached Kroger for comment.                   

Kroger shoppers might be able to use a guest Wi-Fi network at locations, but it depends on each store.

However, public networks are not secure, and this comes with risks.

Internet users have been warned not to access online accounts via public networks.

Tech experts have also warned about the risks of data possibly being intercepted.

Kroger has worked to improve its Wi-Fi services for shoppers.

In 2018, the company teamed up with Edgewater Wireless Systems in a bid to roll out next-generation services in stores, per Supermarket Perimeter.

Lack of Wi-Fi services is not the only issue shoppers nationwide have complained about.

Walmart has come under fire over its payment policy methods.

The chain doesn’t allow customers to use Apple Pay as chiefs prefer shoppers to use the company’s in-house app.

The policy has caused pain for some shoppers who have encountered problems at the checkout as a result.

And some have become so disillusioned that they’ve threatened to boycott the chain.

The Home Depot has also been criticized over the same issue.

FABIO WARDLEY and Frazer Clarke meet again hoping to draw a line under their rivalry.

The heavyweight bangers met in a fight of the year contender at the O2 Arena in March and go head-to-head again on the epic undercard of the Dimitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev fight.

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Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke meet again in Saudi Arabia[/caption]

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The first fight was an epic that ended in a draw[/caption]

The British heavyweight title is on the line once again after the previous contest was ruled a draw.

Wardley still carries a huge scar on his nose from the punishment he received from their first war, while Clarke was put down and saved by the bell in round 5.

Wardley, the defending champ, is promising to continue the slugfest that gripped boxing – but Clarke has said he won’t be making the same mistakes again.

The fight is a massive one for both parties, but will there be a third fight?

Is there a rematch clause in Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke?

It does NOT appear that a rematch clause has been written into the contract for Wardley vs Clarke 2 – although here has been no public confirmation.

There was no rematch clause in the first fight either, but after the controversial draw it took little time for the pair to agree to terms.

Despite the lack of a rematch clause in this fight, Frazer Clarke thinks there could be a trilogy fight – and he wants it at Wembley Stadium.

Clarke told the Metro: “I think we could see a trilogy.

“I don’t know what it is about Fabio, but we gel very well. I will win and settle the score.

“But as long as people want to see you fight someone, there is always an opportunity to do it again.

“I’m hoping to put him to bed, but never say never. There is something about this rivalry, people are excited about it.

“So this may not be in the end. We could eventually fight each other again for a world title back home.

“I was sat ringside at Wembley a few weeks ago and I just thought, ‘I should be co-main event here’.

“The atmosphere was something we have never seen before. If there was a ‘Big Fraze’ ring walk there as well it would have been electric.

“I would have felt like a monster.”

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Frazer Clarke wants a trilogy fight at Wembley Stadium[/caption]

Frank Warren believes a win for his fighter, Wardley, will put him into contention for

“If Fabio wins, he will go into the mix for the next level,” he told Sky Sports.

“He will be looking at fights next year against the likes of [Zhilei] Zhang, [Joseph] Parker and those guys.

“Maybe fight for a vacant title, maybe be in a mandatory.”

Wardley himself hasn’t spoken about the future but is expecting more of the same in fight two: “Just carry it on, carry it on.

“High guard, walk forward, smash him up. I got a lot of success in the first fight, loads of success.

“I’ve watched the fight back so many times and there were so many moments in that fight where I rocked him, had him hurt, had him going and I just followed it up wrong, that’s all.

“Don’t get me wrong, I got caught with a few lazy things, got hit in the face – but it’s boxing, we’re not playing badminton.”

NEW YORK JETS interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich has announced that Todd Downing will take over as the team’s new play caller from next week.

Ulbrich took over from Robert Saleh at the Metlife Stadium just a few days ago, but the ex-linebacker has already made a significant change.

AP

Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich has announced a huge change to the Jets’ offense[/caption]

AP

He has appointed Todd Downing as the team’s new play caller[/caption]

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Nathaniel Hackett will remain offensive coordinator[/caption]

He believes a “fresh approach” is needed to boost the Jets following two successive losses.

The 47-year-old has therefore called on Downing to replace play caller Nathaniel Hackett ahead of Monday night’s meeting with the Buffalo Bills.

Despite his demotion, Hackett will remain on board as offensive coordinator.

Ulbrich announced his decision during a press conference on Thursday.

He said: “After a lot of time to think about it — and did not make this decision easily by any means — I’m going to make Todd Downing the play-caller for the New York Jets going forward.

“And this is more a byproduct of a different take on things. I’m not saying it’s a better or worse take on things by any means.

“But just a different take on things, a fresh approach.

“So, ultimately, Todd will have the full say on the game plan and, ultimately, the plays that are called within the game.

“Staying that as well, just another testament to the human being that Nathaniel Hackett is — the fact that he’s going to give this everything in his body, and heart, and soul, and he’s going to be a big part of the success we’re going to have going forward from an offensive perspective.

“And just, I feel so fortunate that he’s staying with us. I mean, here’s a guy who’s been a head coach in this league and willing to draw cards, willing to do whatever it takes — and the true heart of a servant.

“Just, I feel so fortunate that he’s on our staff that he’s in our lies and I can’t speak enough good things about him.”

Ulbrich was appointed interim coach this week after Saleh’s departure.

Saleh was fired by the Jets following Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings – which left the team with a 2-3 record after five games.

He was removed from the Jets training facility by security without being able to say goodbye to his team.

The locker room was allegedly “shocked” by the decision.

The Jets had been urged to hire six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick to replace Saleh.

However, he has no plans to return to the NFL.

AP

Robert Saleh was fired this week[/caption]

A MUM battling a chronic illness has shared how she passed the disease on to her daughter while pregnant.

Kirstie Haysman, 36, had been suffering debilitating muscle and joint pain for almost a decade when she sought medical advice.

SWNS

Kirstie Haysman and her daughter Harriet both suffer with the chronic illness Lyme disease[/caption]

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Doctors believe Kirstie, pictured, passed the illness on to Harriet while pregnant[/caption]

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Before her diagnoses, Kirstie competed in beauty pageants[/caption]

She was diagnosed with Lyme disease in February 2023, a bacterial infection normally spread through ticks, but which doctors believe she may have been born with.

Her daughter, Harriet, 12, was also diagnosed with the disease this year, and Kirstie claims three doctors think she passed it via her uterus during pregnancy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the spread of Lyme disease from mum to unborn baby is “possible but rare”.

After Miranda Hart spoke out about her battle with the disease, Kirstie is hopeful it will force doctors to “see the amount of people suffering and understand that it’s important that better research must be done”.

The mum from Watford, Hertfordshire said: “I first noticed symptoms in my daughter about a year and a half ago.

“Doctors didn’t want to test because there was no bite or rash.

“I pushed for a test and it came back possible for Lyme disease and Epstein Barr virus.

“After her diagnosis I felt very guilty that I had passed the disease onto her.

“I was in two minds to tell her as I didn’t want to burden her with the worry of the illness.

“She was very tearful as she had seen me for months having carers pick me up and help me for months.

“We caught it early enough to deal with it and she hasn’t got years of misdiagnosis under her belt.

“It’s wonderful that Miranda has come forward – it’s very sad that she’s had to suffer and keep it hidden”.

The former chiropodist was initially tested for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis in 2015 – and both came back negative.

She claims doctors assumed she was suffering from an autoimmune disease and prescribed her steroids.

In January 2023 an acquaintance suggested she might be suffering with Lyme disease and after going to Mexico for blood tests Kirstie was diagnosed.

She has taken since two trips to Mexico and one to Idaho, US to seek stem cell treatment – a therapy which eases the symptoms of the disease but is not currently offered in the UK.

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Kirstie has received treatment in Mexico, including a lumbar puncture[/caption]

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The mum has also been receiving stem cell treatment, which is not currently available in the UK[/caption]

She said: “It has really, really helped.”

Kirstie was able to raise £20,000 for the first Mexico treatment in March 2023 through a GoFundMe page and financial help through family and friends.

The second treatment was provided to her for free by the doctors in Mexico.

She said: “They felt so bad that I wasn’t getting any help at home.”

Despite the treatment helping Kirstie’s symptoms, Lyme disease has no cure.

She said: “I am still suffering, some days I cannot get out of bed and my right leg is completely crippled, but I get by as best as I can, everyday is different.”

Kirstie went on to claim that her daughter Harriet’s symptoms were dismissed for over a year before her diagnosis in July 2023.

Kirstie said: “She struggles terribly with migraines, low mood, stomach aches and nausea.

“The doctors refused to test until she was 16 but I pushed and pushed for it.

“There isn’t any treatment they can offer to her, it has been really hard to seek treatment for her.”

Speaking on their differing symptoms, Kirstie said her and her daughter “support each other as best we can”.

During treatment in Idaho, Kirstie had her daughter undergo some less invasive treatment similar to magnet and light treatment.

She said: “This treatment helped within a few weeks, she got her Hertz Lymer reaction which occurs when the bacteria is dying off.”

Former-beauty pageant queen Kirstie has now gone from bedbound to working again this year.

She plans to work alongside the charity team at the Miss Great Britain beauty pageant to “raise awareness for Lyme disease and help others who are suffering”.

She will be raising funds at the pageant for Alex’s Wish, a charity that supports those suffering with joint and muscle pain with the main goal of eradicating Duchenne Muscular, a deadly illness which causes muscle weakness that worsens over time.

She said: “They [the team] have been so supportive, offering me wheelchairs and support where I need it throughout the pageant.

“My other main aim is to normalize mobility aids within the pageant industry and normalizing disabilities”.

“It will be nice for Harriet to watch me do this and be proud of me instead of seeing me fall over in hospitals and struggling to walk.”

More information on Alex’s Wish charity can be found here.

SWNS

The former beauty queen is now working alongside the charity team at the Miss Great Britain beauty pageant[/caption]

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The mum hopes to raise awareness about the disease, which comedian Miranda Hart has recently spoken out on[/caption]

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Lyme disease left Kirstie bedbound[/caption]

THIS is the eerie moment Elon Musk unveiled his creepy faceless Optimus robots that he boasts can do anything, even babysit children.

The tech billionaire will unleash the humanoid bots into his Tesla factories next year before they’re made available to other companies in 2026.

Twitter / Tesla Live

The creepy faceless humanoids were seen marching in at a Tesla event[/caption]

Twitter / Tesla Live

The bot is seen playing games with human children[/caption]

Twitter / Tesla Live

It was also seen watering plants in the background as a family enjoyed time together[/caption]

Twitter / Tesla Live

Elon Musk boasted that his Optimus robots can ‘do anything’[/caption]

In a video posted on his own X account, Musk can be heard presenting the life-size machines as they marched into a Tesla event.

He said: “You’re really gonna have something spectacular. Something that anyone could own.

“You can have your own personal R2-D2 [or] C3-PO.”

A montage then plays showing the multiple uses of the Opimus robots.

The faceless bot, dubbed an “autonomous assistant” or a “humanoid friend” by Tesla, can be seen picking up a parcel at the doorstep, watering plants as a human family enjoys their time together.

It can then be seen joining in on the fun and playing games with a dad and his children before it goes on to help mum in the kitchen.

“It will basically do anything you want,” Musk explains.

“It can be a teacher, or babysit your kids, walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries, just be your friend, serve drinks, whatever you can think of, it will do.”

An exact price for the bot is yet to be announced by Musk has previously suggested it will be lower than $20,000 (£17,900).

Twitter / Tesla Live

Musk’s robot cleaning the kitchen counter[/caption]

Twitter / Tesla Live

The droid also picks up parcels at the front door[/caption]

A second version of the machine, dubbed Optimus II, works 30 times faster than the last one.

It’s also 10kg lighter and has a more human like build.

Musk, 53, previously tweeted that the walking machines will be “genuinely useful” when deployed to help build Tesla cars.

“Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026,” he said.

The electric car giant has been working on a humanoid robot, known as Optimus, to use in its factories and on production lines.

When Tesla’s humanoid robot was first announced in 2021 during a company event, it did not appear on stage but a person wearing a white outfit and a black helmet walked robotically on before starting to dance.

Since then, Tesla has shown off updated versions of Optimus, including in a video at the end of last year in which the robot picked up, held and put down an egg without breaking it.

It’s even been shown doing yoga.

Musk has previously said he hopes Optimus will walk humans into a “future of abundance, a future where there is no poverty, a future where you can have whatever you want in terms of products and services.”

But he’s also cautioned about the development of humanoids, saying they can “basically chase you anywhere”.

Reuters

X / @Tesla_Optimus

Musk’s Optimus humanoid bot can already do yoga[/caption]

MOST children of rock stars follow in their parents’ footsteps, however that isn’t the case for Jessica Springsteen.

Instead the daughter of the legendary Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa has ventured into the world of sport and is an Olympic hero.

Sportsfile

Jessica Springsteen is an equestrian champion[/caption]

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The talented sports star won silver at the Olympics[/caption]

Jessica Rae Springsteen was born on December 30, 1991, and is the daughter of Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa,

She has two brothers – one older, one younger – called Evan James and Samuel Ryan.

The famous couple moved their family from Los Angeles to Colts Neck Township, New Jersey, to raise their children in a non-paparazzi environment.

They owned and lived on a 300-acre horse farm called Stone Hill Farm, and Jessica began riding at just four years old.

Becoming an equestrian champ

As a child she won several competitions in the pony division, including the Washington International Pony Equitation Classic Final.

Then as a teenager she went on to win the 2008 ASPCA Maclay National Championship in a ride-off.

In 2011 she competed in the Royal Windsor Horse Show with her horse Vordnado Van Den Hoendrik.

Jessica represented the United States at the 2012 London Olympics as an alternate, and that same year Great Britain Olympic rider Peter Charles sold his gold medal-winning horse to her.

The Duke University graduate then won the American Gold Cup in 2014 and her first five-star Grand Prix jumping competition in 2016.

Unfortunately she was not selected to represent the United States for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

She did however make the US team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and went on to win a silver medal in team jumping on August 7, 2021.

Jessica also models for Gucci as their equestrian ambassador.

Olympic glory

Jessica competed for the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

She competed individually in equestrian and placed 31st, however only the top 30 advanced to the medal rounds.

Luckily Jessica got another shot at Olympic glory when she competed in the US jumping team and came away with a silver medal.

After the first round of the team jumping final, Sweden and the United States were tied as front runners with eight faults apiece.

In a tense final showdown the Swedish side came out on top to take gold, with just 1.3 penalty points separating the teams.

Despite her success in Tokyo, Jessica was not selected to take part in Paris 2024.

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Jessica’s dad Bruce is seen with her mum Patti cheering her on at a competition[/caption]

Proud father

Jessica’s famous dad Bruce couldn’t prouder of his daughter.

After her Olympic glory, the singer said: “I want to congratulate the United States Olympic show jumping team – that’s McLain Ward, Laura Kraut and my lovely daughter, Jessica Springsteen – on their silver medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.”

When he’s not busy touring, Bruce often attends his daughter’s competitions, along with his wife Patti.

Jessica’s love life

Jessica is not married however she has been dating a fellow rider since June 2018.

Lorenzo de Luca is an Italian show jumper who won the Rolex Rome Grand Prix in 2018 with his horse Halifax.

The pair got together following her split with her ex-boyfriend – Argentinian polo player Nic Roldan.

THE Internet Archive fell victim to a major cyberattack in fall 2024, along with its digital library and Wayback Machine.

The data of millions of users has been compromised — here’s everything you need to know about the attack, plus how to stay safe online.

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The data of 31million people was stolen during the Internet Archive breach[/caption]

How the Internet Archive Data breach happened

The incident began on October 9, 2024, when a malicious JavaScript pop-up appeared on the Internet Archive website, alerting visitors to a security breach potentially affecting 31million users.

The message read: “Have you ever felt like the Internet Archive runs on sticks and is constantly on the verge of suffering a catastrophic security breach? It just happened. See 31 million of you on HIBP!”

The message not only indicated that the breach had taken place, but also directed users to Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) — a site where individuals can check if their email addresses and passwords have been compromised in data breaches.

This coincided with distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults that began on October 8, aimed at disrupting the Internet Archive’s website and servers, while also rendering the Wayback Machine inaccessible.

The Wayback Machine

The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web, operated by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco.

Established in 1996 and publicly launched in 2001, it enables users to access archived versions of websites, effectively allowing them to “travel back in time” to see how web pages appeared at various points in history.

The Internet Archive Data breach

Troy Hunt, founder of Have I Been Pwned (HIBP), confirmed that the attack occurred in September, exposing 31 million email addresses, usernames, bcrypt password hashes, and other internal system data.

The stolen database, a 6.4GB SQL file named ‘ia_users.sql’ contained records up to September 28, 2024.

 Internet Archive Data breach details

The cyberattack involved multiple components:

• Data breach: Compromising user information
• Website defacement: Through a JavaScript library exploit
• Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks: Rendering services like the Wayback Machine inaccessible

Brewster Kahle, the Internet Archive’s founder, acknowledged the breach and outlined the organization’s response.

He wrote on X/Twitter: “What we know: DDoS attack — fended off for now; defacement of our website via JS library; breach of usernames / email / salted-encrypted passwords.

“What we’ve done: Disabled the JS library, scrubbing systems, upgrading security.”

Claimed responsibility

A ‘hacktivist’ group called SN_BlackMeta claimed responsibility for the DDoS attacks.

The group, linked to pro-Palestinian movements, stated their attack lasted five hours and targeted the Archive due to perceived connections with the US.

Protect yourself from phishing

The breach exposed 31 million unique email addresses, screen names and bcrypt-hashed passwords.

Bcrypt is an adaptive cryptographic hash function specifically designed for securely hashing passwords.

Password hashing is the process of transforming a plaintext password into a fixed-size string of characters — called a hash — using a mathematical algorithm.

While bcrypt is a strong encryption algorithm, users are advised to change their passwords, especially if reused across platforms.

The Internet Archive is currently working to restore services and enhance security measures.

Kahle stated: “We are working to restore services as quickly and safely as possible.”

Affected users should:

• Change passwords, particularly if reused on other platforms
• Avoid downloading or interacting with files from the Internet Archive until the organization declares the breach resolved