Not anonymous anymore! 4chan got hacked, but the users’ information should be safe. However, the people in charge are not in such a situation. Read to find out more details about it!
An anonymous group created the website, but it's no longer anonymous: The recent 4chan hack exposed not only users' private data, but also information about the mods and janitors. These power-users approve content and decide what stays on the forum or gets deleted. However, why is this such a big deal?
First of all, some words need some context to be understood:
- Mods: The people in charge of managing communities. They have access to users' information that is private to the public.
- Janitors: They have most mods privileges, but their main function is getting rid of posts. This could be due to infringement of rules, or just for being irrelevant.
- IP: The network address of a computer connected to the Internet. Thus, it contains physical location information.
- Doxxing: The act of revealing personal information from internet users to the public without their consent.
4chan's infamous reputation came from the constant doxxing of users (and even famous people) through anonymity. For this reason, multiple online users celebrated the hacker's actions, considering this felt like karma had finally hit them.
The news tech site TechCrunch interviewed one of 4chan's janitors, who confirmed the hack and said they were not happy with the situation. However, due to the kind of site 4chan is, they knew they were the target for many.
“I’m not happy about the situation. I’m sure most others aren’t, either. But many of us have been doing this for a long time. Doxxing is a longstanding pastime on 4chan, and the possibility that we could be exposed has always been there.”
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How was 4chan hacked?
Several reports revealed the method the hackers may have used. Many forums and social media pages claim that the 4chan hack happened due to a simple exploit. Certain boards allow users to upload PDF files, but the system failed to verify whether the files were actually PDFs. As a result, hackers uploaded files containing scripts that breached the site's security.
As previously stated, the 4chan hack's main target were the mods and janitors. According to the information shared about the hack, user emails are safe, and the hacker doesn't possess this information.
Is 4chan coming back after being hacked?
While they are not active on social media (their last x.com post was on late 2023), 4chan's community manager took to X to post that it "takes time", which suggests they are working on their comeback. To the date of this post, the 4chan site is not loading correctly.
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