4chan is mostly back online after a two-week outage that disrupted its anonymous user community. The infamous imageboard has been largely restored, although not every aspect of the site will return.
In its first significant blog update in eight years, the 4chan staff revealed that the downtime was due to a hacking incident. The post indicated that an attacker with a UK-based IP address took advantage of outdated software through a PDF upload, gaining access to 4chan’s servers. The hacker was able to extract a considerable amount of the site’s source code before defacing the platform, which led moderators to take it offline.
“While not all of our servers were affected, the most vital one was,” the blog detailed. “This occurred because we did not prioritize updating old operating systems and code promptly.”
The breach was characterized as “catastrophic,” with the blog pointing to a shortage of skilled developers and budget constraints as the primary reasons for the outdated infrastructure. It comes as no surprise that luring advertisers has been difficult for 4chan, often deemed “the cesspool of the internet,” which complicates funding for upgrades. Even though 4chan started transitioning to new servers last year, key functions were still reliant on older hardware.
“Everything about this situation prolonged our timeline more than anticipated, which is a common theme in this incident,” the team acknowledged. “The free time available for our development team to focus on 4chan was inadequate to upgrade our software and infrastructure swiftly, and our luck has run out.”
Throughout the downtime, 4chan’s developers focused on fixing security vulnerabilities, replacing the compromised server, and updating their systems. They also began to seek more volunteers to assist in maintaining the site. While a server status checker on 4chan’s blog indicates that not all services are completely restored, the activity on the boards seems to have largely returned to normal.
Nevertheless, 4chan will not be entirely the same. The ability to upload PDFs will be restored soon, but the Flash board, /f/, will be permanently discontinued. The team clarified that there is no feasible way to prevent similar exploits via .swf files. Although /f/ remains visible on the site’s front page and navigation menu, its removal is anticipated.
Even without the hack, /f/’s shutdown was unavoidable. Adobe proclaimed the end of Flash Player support in 2017, officially ceasing it in 2020.
Established in 2003, 4chan has long been a contentious part of the internet, known as the origin of various memes, online movements, and groups such as the hacktivist collective Anonymous and the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon.