The infamous online forum 4chan was subjected to a cyberattack on Tuesday.

As of this writing, 4chan's website was inaccessible, with social media users indicating that the site had been experiencing intermittent outages for several hours.

Messages posted on a rival platform, reviewed by TechCrunch, lauded the breach, with one individual asserting the perpetrator of the attack had infiltrated 4chan's network for a period exceeding twelve months.

Screenshots that seem to show the inside workings of 4chan, like the code and ways to ban users, were shared online. This suggests that only the people who manage the site could see this information. The shared information also included a list of people said to be 4chan moderators and 'janitors'. Janitors can delete posts but have less power than moderators, who can also see things like users' IP addresses.

Because 4chan is known for its violent political connections, this cyberattack might show who runs these forums, which are now very important for alt-right movements.

TechCrunch contacted several email addresses that were leaked and talked to one person whose email was leaked. A moderator from 4chan, who did not want to be named, said they are sure the leaked data and screenshots are real.

"I have no grounds for believing otherwise," the janitor stated.

"I am rather surprised," the moderator informed TechCrunch. "While 4chan's moderation team has experienced leaks previously, this situation clearly possesses a more significant scope. I find this development unsettling, and I anticipate many others share this sentiment. However, a considerable number of us have been engaged in this role for an extended period. Doxing has long been a customary practice on 4chan, and the potential for our identities to be revealed has always been a latent concern."

The janitor said, "I've been most worried about the leaked information, for clear reasons." He added, "I think the fact that a hacker or hackers took control of 4chan is probably worse than just screenshots, especially for the site to keep working."

According to the administrator, it seems the hacker acquired the personal data of 4chan Pass subscribers, individuals who pay the platform to circumvent post limits and access a premium forum.

4chan did not furnish a response to an email soliciting comment, which was sent to the website's designated press contact.

4chan is an online forum where people can post anonymously. It's often seen as a negative part of the internet. It mainly works as a place to share images, and many users seem to enjoy trying to shock others by posting very offensive things. Sometimes, what starts on 4chan spreads to the real world, either as simple internet jokes (memes) or as harmful ideas that have encouraged right-wing violence.

Memes such as Pepe the Frog, rage comics, and wojaks initially gained traction on 4chan, subsequently becoming widespread across online platforms.

The person who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019 used 4chan often since he was a teenager. In 2022, an 18-year-old man killed 10 Black people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. His long manifesto, which was 180 pages, used ideas from what the Christchurch shooter wrote online.