## 4chan Returns After Hack, Cites Funding Woes
After a nearly two-week outage following a significant hack, the controversial image-sharing site 4chan is back online. The site initially went dark on April 14th after a breach that resulted in the leakage of sensitive data, including a list of moderators and “janitors.” One such “janitor” confirmed the data’s authenticity to TechCrunch.
The extended downtime even spurred speculation about the site’s demise. Wired published an article suggesting that 4chan had devolved from a hub of internet culture into a breeding ground for extremism. However, the 4chan team responded defiantly, questioning the claims of their downfall in a post on X.
On Friday, 4chan partially resurfaced. A subsequent blog post revealed that a hacker, originating from a UK IP address, exploited a vulnerability through a bogus PDF upload to access one of the site’s servers. This allowed the attacker to exfiltrate database tables and a substantial portion of 4chan’s source code. According to the post, the hacker then proceeded to vandalize the site, prompting moderators to shut down the servers to prevent further damage.
The 4chan team described the damage as “catastrophic,” attributing the vulnerability to a lack of resources. “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,” the blog post stated. They further elaborated that securing financial backing has been a challenge due to activist pressure campaigns targeting those willing to associate with the platform.
While the breached server has been replaced, the site is operating with limitations. PDF uploads are temporarily disabled, and the board dedicated to Flash animations remains offline due to concerns about similar exploits leveraging .swf files.
As of Sunday afternoon, 4chan’s status checker indicates that the main boards and front page are operational, although posting, image uploading, and thumbnail generation are still experiencing issues.
Despite the setbacks, 4chan’s administrators remain resolute: “4chan is back,” the blog post declared. “No other website can replace it, or this community. No matter how hard it is, we are not giving up.” The future of the platform, however, hinges on its ability to secure the necessary resources to bolster its security infrastructure and navigate the challenges of securing stable financial support.
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