Someone got into the internet forum 4chan without permission on Tuesday.

When I wrote this, the 4chan website was not working. People on social media said the site stopped and started many times for hours.

People on another website were happy about the hack. One person said the hacker was inside 4chan's computers for more than a year.

Some pictures were shared online. They seem to show how the website 4chan works behind the scenes. These pictures show the website's code and tools to stop users from posting. Only the people who manage the website can see these tools. The shared information also had a list of people who help manage 4chan. Some of these people are called 'janitors'. They can remove posts, but they have less power than the main managers. The main managers can even see where users are on the internet.

Because 4chan is known for its links to violent politics, this online attack could show who is in charge of these websites. These websites are now very important for far-right groups.

TechCrunch talked to some people whose emails were shared. One person who works for 4chan said they are sure the information is true.

I have no reason to think it's different,

I am a little surprised. The people who help with 4chan have had information shared before, but this problem is clearly bigger. The person who helps told TechCrunch, 'I don't like this situation. I think most other people don't like it either. But many of us have been doing this for a long time. Finding and sharing people's private information is a common thing on 4chan, and we always knew that we might be found out.'

The janitor said, "I was very worried about the secret information that got out, for clear reasons." He also said, "I think it's probably worse that a hacker or hackers took control of 4chan than just having pictures, at least for the website to keep working."

The worker also said it seems the hacker got the private information of people who pay for 4chan Pass. These users pay the website to post more and use a special part of the site.

4chan did not answer an email asking for a comment.

4chan is a website where people share messages and pictures. Users are supposed to be secret, but some people think it is a bad part of the internet. Often, bored users try to shock each other by sharing very bad things. Sometimes, ideas from 4chan become popular online pictures or hateful ideas that cause violence.

Memes like Pepe the Frog and wojaks started on 4chan and are now everywhere online. 4chan is most known for its political forums. In these forums, strong ideas can make young people believe in white supremacist ideas. QAnon, a group with strange ideas that supports President Trump, also started on 4chan.

In 2019, a man killed 51 people in two mosques in New Zealand. He often used the website 4chan from a young age. In 2022, an 18-year-old man killed 10 Black people in a shop in New York. The writing he left used ideas from the online messages of the man who killed people in New Zealand.