• Image-based bulletin board 4Chan was hacked on 15 April
  • 4Chan is similar to Reddit, but users post more edgy content
  • The website was taken down after the hack because of the security risk
4Chan
4Chan has been hacked and is temporarily gone offline. Credit: IMAGO/ NurPhoto

Another day, another internet hack — this time, hackers targeted the anonymous image board website 4Chan. On 15 April, attackers breached the edgy corner of the internet, alerting users when an inactive section of the site suddenly sprang to life.

Moments later, a chilling message appeared across the screen: “U GOT HACKED.”

Immediately, users began speculating about the breach. Soon after, cybersecurity experts weighed in, confirming that the hack appeared to be legitimate.

As a result, many users now fear their anonymity could be at risk. Notably, unlike Reddit, its more mainstream counterpart, 4Chan, is known for its darker, more controversial content.

Consequently, if the attackers gained access to back-end data, they could potentially unmask identities long hidden behind anonymous posts. For a site that thrives on secrecy, that possibility is sending shockwaves through the community.

What is it known for?

The site became a home for darker internet content, subcultures, and unmoderated content. Yes, there are moderators on the site, but they are not as strict as Reddit.

Allegedly, the hacker was someone from a rival message board who claimed responsibility, although this has not been verified. The message was found on another message board by someone with the username Soyjak party.

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How is the hack possible? Well, because the site is unpatched, it is susceptible to hacks.

Presumably, the purpose of the hacking is to expose the data of users and moderators since the site is notorious for anonymity. Among the exposed emails, some people have alleged that there were government email addresses on the list of revealed emails. No, this has not been confirmed.

The site’s founder, Christopher Poole or ‘moot’, as he is known, wrote in a blog post: “We have spent—and will continue to spend—dozens of hours poring over our software and systems to help mitigate and prevent future intrusions. We’re sorry it happened, and we will do our best to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Online users are reacting to the hack. Here is what they said.

How did the internet react to 4Chan getting hacked?

Interestingly, the internet was glad and sad that the site was hacked. Some users revelled in the users of the site being exposed, while others were sad that their meme-posting site was gone.

A user posted with an excited GIF on X, “4CHAN IS GONE”.

Another user had a similar view and laughed at the moderators and their information being exposed.

At the same time, a third user joked that the last thing users of the site saw before it was gone was Steve from the Minecraft movie zooming down to haunt them.

For context, one of the last posts on the site was the recently viral chicken jockey meme, courtesy of A Minecraft Movie.

On the other hand, concerned users expressed worry about where users of the site would migrate to. In a post, one user said, “4chan users are about to migrate here This place is gonna somehow be worse”.

Similarly, a second user agreed and wrote in a post, “4chan being deleted could actually be one of the worst things to ever happen, depending on where they migrate to”.

X or maybe Reddit?

Sad at the disappearance

Surprisingly, lots of internet users expressed sadness and surprise at the hack. A confused user said in a post, “Oh, 4chan is actually gone. I thought everyone was trolling”.

In the past, people have pretended the site was gone to troll users.

Despite the site’s dark reputation, users were disappointed at its demise. Expressing their disbelief, one person said, “I can’t believe 4chan might be gone for real. Like, that’s a whole Internet history just gone forever”.

In agreement, another user declared the hack was “the most devastating thing to happen this year so far”.

Rumors have swirled about why the hackers did it, with one user posting the potential motive that had been swirling around.

Right now, the full details of the hack are unknown, but we will keep you updated.

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Sophie Humphrey
Sophie Humphrey is a freelance writer and journalist. Sophie has seven years experience in journalism and has a keen interest in pop culture and entertainment. Sophie has worked for the likes of Time Out London, The Upcoming and Screen rant.
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