Overview of the Incident
Earlier today, the well-known online forum 4chan fell victim to a significant hacking event that caused the site to go offline intermittently. The contentious imageboard Soyjak.party, also known as The Party, has claimed responsibility for this cyber disruption.
Detailed Attack Disclosure
Members of The Party revealed early successes by leaking critical data including admin panels, and a purported list of email addresses linked to 4chan’s administrators, moderators, and janitors. These janitors are instrumental in forum moderation yet hold less authority than full moderators.
The Scope of the Hack
During the tumultuous evening of April 14, 2025, a spokesperson for The Party using the handle “Chud” revealed that a hacker had infiltrated 4chan’s systems for over a year. The operation, dubbed “soyclipse,” was launched successfully, compromising personal information of 4chan staff and leaking valuable source code.
In response to the rapid unfolding of events, 4chan’s administration took swift action by pulling all servers offline. However, there are unverified reports suggesting that the servers are thoroughly compromised and restoration may be delayed.
Powerful Access Gained
The alleged hacker obtained access to 4chan’s administrative controls which include tools capable of:
- Tracking any user’s location and IP address
- Rebuilding or restarting 4chan boards
- Accessing board logs and viewing site analytics
- Managing databases via the platform’s phpMyAdmin panel
Security Lapses?
Commentators within The Party have suggested that the breach was facilitated by 4chan’s continued use of an outdated PHP version, dating back to 2016, leaving it vulnerable to several security exploits.
Additional Leak on Kiwi Farms
Further compounding the site’s troubles, 4chan’s PHP source code was also leaked on the Kiwi Farms forum later that day, spreading the stolen content even wider.
Current Status of 4chan
Attempts to access 4chan either result in a text-only version of the site or display Cloudflare connection timeout errors, indicating ongoing efforts by the site’s staff to resolve the issues and restore full functionality.
Historical Context of 4chan
Since its inception in 2003 by Christopher Poole, alias moot, 4chan has been a platform of choice for controversial internet cultures and significant digital leaks involving major entities like Microsoft, Intel, and Disney.
Related: Revealed: Why 78% of Top Security Experts are Revolutionizing Their Cybersecurity Tactics
Last Updated: April 15, 2025
