4chan faces a major security breach as internal data is leaked, sparking outrage and raising questions about site security.
4chan, the internet’s most infamous message board, has reportedly been hacked badly.
Over the past 48 hours, internal data has leaked, backend screenshots have surfaced, and the site itself has sputtered in and out of functionality. The culprits? A fringe rival imageboard called Soyjak.party, who gleefully posted what they claim is evidence of deep access into 4chan’s systems, including admin credentials, source code, and mod emails.
If you visited 4chan’s long-dormant /qa/ board on Monday, you would’ve seen a simple but ominous message: “U GOT HACKED XD.”
Yep. It’s that kind of hack.
A Breach Long in the Making?
According to posts on Soyjak.party, the intrusion wasn’t some overnight script-kiddie stunt. Hackers claim to have been lurking inside 4chan’s servers for over a year. One message even teased: “We got comfy. Like, really comfy.” They’ve since dumped hundreds of files and backend access screenshots, some of which show admin tools and server logs.
Cybersecurity expert and co-founder of Israeli cybercrime monitoring company Hudson Rock, Alon Gal (Hudson Rock), says the backend screenshots and leaked admin data “look legit.”
4chan, true to form, hasn’t said a word. Multiple media outlets have tried to reach moderators and admins—some got silence, others were trolled.
No One’s Watching the Shop
Experts are now pointing fingers at years of technical neglect. Professor Emiliano De Cristofaro from UC Riverside suggested 4chan may have been running on outdated, unpatched software, some of it possibly from 2016. “It seems true that 4chan hasn't been properly maintained and patched for years, which might indicate that a hack would have definitely been a possibility.”
If that’s true, the implications go beyond just system downtime. Leaked data could potentially expose real identities of users who believed they were anonymous—users who post on a platform known for controversy, extreme speech, and fringe communities.
What Happens Next?
So far, 4chan remains mostly operational, but with performance hiccups and growing paranoia among users. Some threads speculate this is an elaborate hoax. Others fear real-world fallout.
The leaked files, which include moderator discussions and email addresses, are now being pored over by cybersecurity researchers and 4chan sleuths alike. So far, there’s no confirmation of a full database leak. However, many believe that hackers are just getting started.
For now, the breach leaves one of the internet’s oldest and most volatile communities exposed—and a little quieter than usual.
