4chan Hacked: Leak Exposes Admin Emails And Site Vulnerabilities - 1

Image by David Valentine, from Unsplash

4chan Hacked: Leak Exposes Admin Emails And Site Vulnerabilities

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

4chan is reeling from a reported hack that leaked admin emails, backend access, and source code online.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • 4chan suffered a major hack, exposing internal systems and emails.
  • Leaked data includes admin usernames, emails, and backend screenshots.
  • Hackers claim 4chan ran outdated, unpatched software since 2016.

The controversial message board 4chan is facing a major security breach after users on a rival forum claimed to have hacked the site and leaked internal data.

The platform experienced an outage starting from late Monday while key forums remained inaccessible and users documented unusual behavior throughout the platform, as first reported by WIRED.

Screenshots shared on Soyjak.party, a competing image board, appear to show 4chan’s backend systems and leaked emails of administrators and moderators, reported WIRED .

The competing image board Soyjak.party shared screenshots as evidence of 4chan backend systems alongside leaked administrator and moderator emails.WIRED says that the attackers also claim to have accessed the site’s source code and posted a taunting message: “U GOT HACKED XD.”

“The content leaked, if genuine, would remove some of the anonymity from 4chan administrators, moderators, and janitors” said Ian Gray, director at cybersecurity firm Flashpoint, as reported by WIRED. He noted that 4chan’s image as an anonymous platform may have given users a “false sense of security.

TechCrunch contacted several of the email addresses exposed in the alleged 4chan breach and managed to speak with one of the individuals behind one of them. A 4chan janitor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that they are “confident” the leaked data and screenshots are “all real.”

Meanwhile The Verge reports that Jared Holt, a senior researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, cautioned against some of the wilder claims, especially those about leaked .edu and .gov email addresses, saying, “the source for this claim was not legit.”

The breach may have been possible due to the site running on outdated software. Some say that 4chan has been running on unpatched systems since 2016.

“It seems true that 4chan hasn’t been properly maintained and patched for years, which might indicate that a hack would have definitely been a possibility,” said Emiliano De Cristofaro, professor of computer science at UC Riverside, as reported by WIRED.

The complete extent of the breach remains unknown but experts warn that the consequences will be severe and this incident could potentially lead to the demise of the notorious online community.

China Accuses U.S. Of Launching Advanced Cyber Attacks During Asian Winter Games - 2

Photo by Azamat E on Unsplash

China Accuses U.S. Of Launching Advanced Cyber Attacks During Asian Winter Games

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

The Chinese police accused the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States and two American universities of launching “advanced” cyberattacks targeting essential industries in February, during the Asian Winter Games.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • The Chinese police reported that three NSA agents and two American universities were involved in a recent cyberattack.
  • The malicious actors targeted multiple businesses—including Huawei—, institutions, and systems containing private data.
  • The incident took place in February, during the Asian Winter Games

According to Al Jazeera , the state news agency Xinhua shared a report this Tuesday revealing that officials from the police of the city of Harbin blame three agents from the NSA, as well as the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and the University of California, as collaborators for recent malicious intrusions.

The Chinese police explain the cyberattacks were held “against important industries such as energy, transportation, water conservancy, communications, and national defence research institutions in Heilongjiang province.” However, they didn’t provide details on how the universities were involved.

According to Reuters , the Chinese police revealed the names of the NSA agents, and shared that, according to its investigation, the individuals have “repeatedly carried out cyber attacks on China’s critical information infrastructure and participated in cyber attacks on Huawei and other enterprises.”

The police’s report adds that the cyberattacks had “the intention of sabotaging China’s critical information infrastructure, causing social disorder, and stealing important confidential information.”

Xinhua’s article reveals that the NSA attack was possible as they suspect the agents used “pre-installed backdoors” through specific devices with Microsoft Windows used during the Winter Games and used different IP addresses purchased and rented network services in Asia and Europe to cover tracks.

The NSA allegedly attacked the Asian Winter Games registration system to get private data from people at the event.

“We urge the U.S. to take a responsible attitude on the issue of cyber security and … stop unprovoked smears and attacks on China,” said Lin Jian, a ministry spokesperson, in a recent news briefing.

The report on the cyberattack comes at a time of tension following the recent imposition of tariffs by the United States on China , and joins the list of recent accusations of attacks that the two countries have made against each other.