Arch Linux Website Hit by DDoS and Temporarily Limited to IPv6

Arch Linux has confirmed an active DDoS attack during Christmas, with IPv4 access to its website unavailable.

I know this isn’t the kind of news Linux fans were hoping to read on Christmas Day, but unfortunately, on a day meant for faith, kindness, and hope, others are choosing to act in exactly the opposite way.

Many of you probably remember the problems Arch faced just a few months ago due to massive DDoS attacks, which mainly affected the AUR. Sadly, just when it seemed those issues were behind, a new large-scale DDoS attack on Christmas Day once again made the distribution’s website effectively inaccessible.

According to the project, the attack targets the main website and requires intervention from its hosting provider. Due to the nature of the incident and reduced support availability during the Christmas holidays (which further complicates the situation), resolution may take longer than usual. No specific timeline for full restoration has been provided.

On the service status page, Arch has currently published the following message:

DDoS attacks hit the Arch Linux website, and it is currently reachable only via IPv6.
DDoS attacks hit the Arch Linux website, and it is currently reachable only via IPv6.

As a result, the distribution’s website is currently reachable only via IPv6 and not via IPv4, which, given how widely IPv4 is still used, effectively makes it inaccessible to most users.

However, the Arch Linux team confirmed that the IPv6 limitation is a temporary mitigation measure while the attack is being addressed, and that, for the moment, the other services were not reported as affected.

Bobby Borisov

Bobby Borisov

Bobby, an editor-in-chief at Linuxiac, is a Linux professional with over 20 years of experience. With a strong focus on Linux and open-source software, he has worked as a Senior Linux System Administrator, Software Developer, and DevOps Engineer for small and large multinational companies.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *