Bad website 4chan had a computer problem on Tuesday.

Now, the website for 4chan is not working. People online say it stops and starts for many hours.

Other websites talked about the hack. They said the hacker was in the system for more than a year.

Pictures online show secret parts of 4chan. These parts help ban people. Only special helpers can see them. The pictures also show a list of these helpers. Some helpers can delete messages. Other helpers can see more things, like computer addresses.

Because 4chan is linked to bad political groups, this attack might show the people in these groups.

We contacted people by email. One person told us the information is correct.

"I think it is true," the man who cleans said.

I am surprised. People knew about the team before, but this is a big problem. I don't like it. Many others don't like it. But we have done this for a long time. Sharing people's private information is an old thing on 4chan. We knew this could happen.

The cleaner said, "I was worried about the stolen information. A hacker took control of the website. This is bad. The website needs to work."

The hacker got information about people who pay money for 4chan Pass.

4chan did not answer the email.

4chan is a website where people share pictures and words. Sometimes the things on 4chan are not good or are strange. People online and in the real world see things from 4chan.

Pictures like Pepe the Frog started on a website called 4chan. Now, you see them everywhere online. 4chan has pages about politics. Some people learn bad ideas there. A group called QAnon started on 4chan too. They like President Trump.

A man killed 51 people in New Zealand in 2019. He used a website called 4chan a lot. In 2022, a young man killed 10 people in the USA. His ideas were like the man in New Zealand.