4chan is back online after a near two-week absence due to a substantial security breach that essentially gutted its systems. The website’s research team retaliated on X (formerly Twitter). They took particular exception to a recent, click-bait ridden piece by journalist Ryan Broderick for Wired, that loudly proclaimed that “4chan is dead.” The ensuing statement has sparked a shitstorm of controversy, as 4chan seeks to reestablish its reputation in an ever-changing digital world.
A hacker infiltrated one of the popular imageboard’s servers through a UK IP address. This was the attack that forced the site offline for the first time on April 14th. The hacker exploited a vulnerability in the government’s system via a booby-trapped PDF upload. They absconded with database tables and a significant chunk of 4chan’s source code. The breach resulted in a massive exposure of sensitive data. This list included a roster of moderators and Discord server “janitors,” one of which went on record to TechCrunch claiming that they were “confident” the leaked data was real.
When 4chan began to come back online, users quickly realized that the boards and front page were open. Posting, uploading images and thumbnails continued to not work. The site’s very long silence inspired at least one premature obituary. This speaks to the profound way that it penetrates the hearts of its devoted base.
In their blog post announcing the 4chan team explained some of the complexities that lead to their downtime. They stated, “Ultimately this problem was caused by having insufficient skilled man-hours available to update our code and infrastructure, and being starved of money for years by advertisers, payment providers, and service providers who had succumbed to external pressure campaigns.” This reflection underscores the difficulties faced by niche platforms like 4chan in maintaining operations in the face of external pressures.
The team lamented the scarcity of advertisers and payment providers willing to collaborate with them, noting that “Advertisers and payment providers willing to work with 4chan are rare, and are quickly pressured by activists into cancelling their services.” This emotion encapsulates the true plight of many struggling platforms online, losing money at every turn.
When people challenged the project’s chances of success, the 4chan team doubled down on the desire to see it through. They took issue with Wired’s assertions that ‘4chan is dead’, writing “Wired reports ‘4chan is dead.’ Is it really? They further emphasized their resolve by declaring, “No other website can replace it, or this community. No matter how hard it is, we are not giving up.”
Though an uncertain future looms, 4chan’s return signals an important opportunity for the site’s user base. Alternatively, the original site has experienced amazing persistence, having returned to life after thoroughly kicking the bucket. Its future is far from secure, as it fights to stay alive against a tide of outside influence.
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