The International Meteor Organization, the nonprofit that coordinates and publishes amateur and professional observations of meteor phenomena, has been hit hard by a cyberattack. Its website is down, and the group says recovery will take weeks.
“We recently suffered a cyberattack that dealt a critical blow to aging infrastructure, taking much of our site offline,” a static page on its website said Wednesday. “We expect several weeks of partial downtime as we transition to new infrastructure and services.”
The IMO said it is prioritizing the reporting of fireball observations during the outage. Users can still report sightings. The organization is also providing some information on its Facebook page.
What the IMO Does
The IMO has helped establish common standards for recording meteor observations. Its databases of reported meteor and fireball sightings, which include text, photos, and videos, are considered essential by many in the field. The IMO also publishes the bimonthly WGN journal, which stands for Working Group News.
The body was formally founded in 1988.
Why Anyone Would Target It
It is unclear why an organization that tracks large, fiery space objects hurtling toward Earth would be the target of a damaging cyberattack. It is equally unclear why someone would want to steal its data (assuming that was the motive), which is mostly public.
The attack struck aging infrastructure, according to the statement.
What Happens Next
The IMO expects several weeks of partial downtime as it moves to new infrastructure and services. During that period, the organization is focusing on fireball reporting.
The Facebook page is serving as a backup channel while the main site remains offline.
Key Facts Box
- Organization: International Meteor Organization (IMO)
- Founded: 1988
- Publication: WGN journal (Working Group News), bimonthly
- Downtime expected: Several weeks of partial downtime
- Data:
- Mostly public
- Made up of text, photos, and videos
The attack comes at a moment when the IMO’s role in standardizing meteor reports has made it a central node in the field. That centrality could explain the motive, though the source offers no statement from the IMO on motive.
The fact that the data is mostly public makes the motive harder to understand. If the attacker wanted to steal information, the IMO’s own statement suggests the data is already available to anyone who wants it.
The IMO’s statement describes the attack as a “critical blow.” That language suggests the damage is serious, not cosmetic. Losing its online presence for weeks would be a real problem.
The fireball reporting system is still in operation, which means the organization is keeping the flow of observations moving even as its main site goes dark.
The statement ends with sadness, not defiance. The site is down, and the people behind it know it.
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