Cyberattack deals 'critical blow' to International Meteor Organization, taking website offline for weeks

A cyberattack forced the Belgium-based International Meteor Organization's website offline, and the nonprofit expects several weeks of partial downtime while migrating to new infrastructure, with fireball reporting prioritized and restored first.

The International Meteor Organization (IMO), a Belgium-based nonprofit founded in 1988 that coordinates amateur and professional meteor observations and maintains a global fireball database, said a cyberattack dealt a 'critical blow' to its aging infrastructure, taking much of its website offline. The site now displays a static notice, and the organization expects several weeks of partial downtime while transitioning to new infrastructure. Fireball reporting has been prioritized: The Record reports the fireball reporting system has already been restored, while Ars Technica reports fireball observations are being accepted via alternate channels while the infrastructure is rebuilt. The attack method and whether any data was accessed have not been disclosed, and no hacking group had claimed responsibility as of September 16, 2026. The IMO's observation databases and WGN journal are widely used in the field. The incident follows 2023 cyberattacks on the NOIRLab astronomy facility in Hawaii and the ALMA observatory in Chile, as well as ransomware at the American Meteorological Society, fitting a broader pattern of attacks targeting space and science research organizations.

• The International Meteor Organization (IMO), a Belgium-based nonprofit founded in 1988, said a cyberattack took much of its website and aging infrastructure offline.
• The organization expects several weeks of partial downtime while it transitions to new infrastructure; the website currently shows a static notice.
• Fireball reporting was prioritized: The Record reports the fireball reporting system has already been restored, while Ars Technica reports fireball observations are being handled via alternate channels while infrastructure is rebuilt.
• The attack vector and whether any data was accessed remain undisclosed.
• No hacking group had claimed responsibility as of September 16, 2026.
• The IMO's observation databases and WGN journal are widely used in the meteor field.
• The incident follows 2023 cyberattacks on the NOIRLab astronomy facility in Hawaii and the ALMA observatory in Chile, plus ransomware at the American Meteorological Society, in a pattern of targeting space and science research…