By Ricardo Lezama 
On April 15, 2025, the anonymous imageboard 4chan experienced a significant security breach that led to widespread outages and raised serious concerns about the exposure of sensitive user data. The incident has been linked to a user from the rival forum Soyjak.party, who allegedly gained unauthorized access to 4chan’s backend systems. This breach reportedly resulted in the leak of the site’s source code, administrator and moderator email addresses, IP logs, and internal chat records.
The attack was first noticed when 4chan’s dormant /qa/ board was unexpectedly reactivated, displaying a message that read “U GOT HACKED XD.” Subsequent posts on Soyjak.party included screenshots purportedly showing 4chan’s administrative interfaces and internal databases. Security experts have suggested that the breach may have been facilitated by outdated and unpatched software, with some components allegedly not updated since 2016.
What Is Soyjak.party?
- Origin: The site is named after “soyjak,” a variant of the “wojak” meme, often used to ridicule exaggerated enthusiasm or perceived performative behavior—especially in fandom or pop culture.
- Focus: The forum is primarily centered on meme-sharing, trolling, and chaotic humor. It often engages in satire, parody, and intentionally abrasive content.
- Culture: Much like 4chan, the culture is intentionally provocative, with heavy use of irony and inside jokes. Boards may be themed around mocking internet trends, users, or figures. It’s fairly racist.
Downdetector Tracks the Outage
Downdetector, a platform that tracks website outages, recorded a surge in user reports beginning around 4 a.m. Eastern Time, with over 1,200 complaints at the peak. The site remained largely inaccessible throughout the day, and as of now, 4chan has not issued an official statement regarding the incident.
As the disruption unfolded, Downdetector showed a sharp spike in complaints starting around 4:00 a.m. Eastern Time. At its peak, more than 1,200 users reported being unable to access the site, citing issues ranging from complete website failure to server connection errors.
Throughout the day, Downdetector graphs reflected multiple waves of activity, suggesting intermittent problems as users tried to reconnect. While some regions—like the UK—saw reports taper off in the afternoon, U.S.-based complaints remained steady well into the evening. This sustained disruption fueled ongoing speculation that a serious backend compromise had occurred.
This breach has significant implications for 4chan’s user base, which relies heavily on anonymity. The potential exposure of personal information could lead to legal consequences and a loss of trust among users. Given 4chan’s history of hosting controversial content and its influence on internet culture, this incident is somewhat ironic as a different and also edgelord media platform has strikes out at them.