4chan Has Been Offline for Over a Week, and It's Probably Not Coming Back

The infamous online forum 4chan has been offline for over a week, leaving its devoted users wondering if they will ever be able to access the site again. The cyberattack that took the site down occurred on April 14, and since then, troves of internal data have been leaked online, revealing the extent of the attack.

According to members of Soyjak, a rival forum, the attackers claimed responsibility for the breach, declaring victory in a feud that has spanned several years. The attackers alleged that they had infiltrated 4chan's systems for over a year before executing the attack.

So, how did 4chan fall victim to such a brazen cyberattack? According to experts, the site's outdated software was a major contributor to its downfall. Specifically, 4chan was running on an extremely out-of-date version of PHP, which has numerous vulnerabilities and exploits. The use of deprecated functions to interact with their MySQL database made it even more susceptible to attack.

Web security 101 is clear: keep your code and software up to date. It's astonishing that 4chan failed to heed this simple principle, leaving themselves vulnerable to such a devastating breach.

The leaked data revealed some shocking details about the hack. Administrators' email addresses were exposed, and it was discovered that they could see the IP addresses of everyone who posted on the site. Additionally, the attackers obtained the personal information of paid subscribers.

On condition of anonymity, a 4chan moderator told TechCrunch that the damage likely extends beyond what has been publicly revealed. Given that the attackers gained complete control over the forum and access has not been restored more than a week later, its return seems highly unlikely.

A Brief History of 4chan

4chan was founded in 2003 by Christopher "moot" Poole, then a high school student. The site's design and code were based on Japan's 2chan, one of the world's largest online communities. Initially created as an alternative space for discussing anime culture, 4chan quickly gained notoriety for its irreverent and often offensive content.

In 2015, Poole sold 4chan to Hiroyuki Nishimura, the founder of 2channel (not to be confused with 2chan). The site's cultural influence and infamy only grew throughout the 2010s. From popularizing trends like Pepe the Frog, wojaks, rage comics, and trolling, to being linked to movements like QAnnon, GamerGate, and the alt-right, 4chan played a significant role in shaping online discourse.

The site was also associated with multiple serious incidents, including mass shootings, the 2014 celebrity photo leak scandal, and other disturbing events. While 4chan's influence on 21st-century culture is undeniable, its demise may be a welcome relief to many who grew tired of its toxic atmosphere and offensiveness.

As 4chan remains offline, one thing is certain: the site's return seems unlikely. Its users will have to find alternative platforms to express themselves, and the online community will be forced to move on without the infamous forum that once defined it.