What Happened to 4chan?
The notorious Internet imageboard, 4chan, known for its chaotic and often controversial content, has been largely inaccessible since Monday night. Reports indicate that the site suffered a significant hack on the evening of the incident, with DownDetector showing a spike in outage reports around 10:07 PM Eastern Time. As of now, the site remains mostly unreachable for its users.
Claims of Responsibility and Unverified Information
In the wake of the hack, users from Soyjack Party, a competing imageboard that originated as a spin-off of 4chan, have stepped forward claiming they were behind the breach. However, in the realm of these tightly-knit online communities, distinguishing fact from fiction can be a challenging task. Threads on the rival board feature screenshots that purportedly display 4chan’s PHP admin interface, suggesting that the hackers gained significant access to 4chan’s databases, including user information and post history.
Expert Analysis of the Breach
Security researcher Kevin Beaumont characterized the hack as “a pretty comprehensive own,” indicating that it encompassed not only SQL databases but also source code and shell access. Reports from 404Media indicate that the site was operating on an outdated version of PHP, which could have facilitated the breach. The vulnerability was likely exploited through the phpMyAdmin tool—a common target in cyber attacks that is often updated to patch security flaws.
Signs of Vulnerability
Staff members from Ars Technica have noted that the screenshots shared in the threads included references to deprecated functions such as mysql_real_escape_string, which raises concerns about the site’s outdated security measures. The use of such obsolete functions indicates that 4chan may not have implemented the necessary updates to protect against modern threats.
Conclusion
The ongoing situation at 4chan serves as a reminder of the vulnerabilities that can exist within online platforms, particularly those that operate with outdated technology. As the investigation continues, users are left in anticipation of the site’s restoration and further information regarding the extent of the breach.