Messages on another online forum, which the website TechCrunch saw, showed people were happy about the hack. One person even said the hacker had been inside 4chan's system for more than a year.

Pictures that look like they are from the hidden part of the website 4chan have been shared online. They seem to show how the website is built, its code, and tools for banning users. Only people who manage the site (moderators) should be able to see this. The shared information also had a list of people thought to be 4chan moderators and "janitors." Janitors are users who can take away posts and conversations, but they don't have as much power as moderators. Moderators can also see things like users' computer addresses.

Because 4chan is known for political violence, this cyberattack could show who runs these forums, which are important for alt-right groups.

TechCrunch contacted people whose email addresses were leaked. One person they spoke to said the information was true.

"I have no reason to think differently," the janitor said.

I'm quite surprised. The 4chan team has had leaks before, but this problem is clearly bigger," the janitor told TechCrunch. "I'm not happy about this situation, and I'm sure most other people aren't either. But many of us have been doing this for a long time. Sharing people's personal information has always been popular on 4chan, and we always knew there was a chance we could be revealed.

The janitor said, "I'm most worried about the leaked information, for clear reasons. I think it's probably worse that a hacker or hackers took control of 4chan than just having screenshots, especially for the website's future."

The cleaner also said it seems the hacker got the personal information of 4chan Pass users. These users pay the website to skip post limits and get into a special VIP area, according to the cleaner.

4chan did not answer an email asking for their opinion. The email was sent to the website's press contact.

4chan is a website where people can post messages and images without using their real names. It's known for having shocking content posted by users who want to provoke others. Sometimes things from 4chan, like funny pictures or angry ideas, appear in the real world.

Memes like Pepe the Frog and wojaks became popular on 4chan, and now you see them everywhere online. But 4chan is most famous for its political discussions, where extreme right-wing ideas can influence young people to believe in white supremacist views. QAnon, a group of right-wing conspiracy theorists who support President Donald Trump, also began on 4chan.

The man who killed 51 people in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019 used the website 4chan a lot since he was a teenager. In 2022, an 18-year-old man killed 10 Black people in Buffalo, New York. His long written statement used ideas from what the Christchurch killer wrote online.