4chan, a well-known image board, reportedly experienced a hack that rendered the site inaccessible from late Monday night through Tuesday morning, as indicated by data from DownDetector. Following reports of the site being down, a user on a competing image board, soyjack.party, claimed responsibility for the hack.
According to the soyjack.party user, a hacker gained access to 4chan’s system over a year ago and executed the attack after lying dormant. It is alleged that the hacker reopened /qa/, a board previously closed due to its controversial nature, exposed personal information of 4chan staff, and leaked code from the site. The user from soyjack.party commented that the night of April 14, 2025, was significant for many at the soyjak party and referred to the operation as “soyclipse.”
In a thread about the hack on Soyjack Party, users shared screenshots suggesting admin access on 4chan, private conversations from message boards exclusive to moderators, and internal tools revealing the location, host, and IP address of 4chan users. Apparently, 4chan moderators took down the site’s servers to regain control. The Daily Dot reported access to a list of supposed contact information for 218 moderators, managers, and janitors of 4chan. Although the list is circulating online, its authenticity remains unverified.
Soyjack Party users also claimed there was an influx of users from 4chan joining their platform post-hack, though they reportedly struggled to adapt to the culture. This influx might provide insight into the motives behind the hack. Soyjack Party, a 4chan offshoot heavily centered around the wojak meme, was launched in 2020 and announced on 4chan’s /qa/ board, which was eventually banned for hosting divisive content. Soyjack Party users perceived 4chan’s moderation as overly restrictive.
Users from Soyjack Party have a history of targeting 4chan-related forums, as noted by Reddit users, who reported Soyjack Party members causing subreddits to go private. The alleged hack appears to be a significant strike by this group.
Concerns among 4chan moderators about their information being leaked have led to discussions on a Discord server, where users are advised to secure their accounts. Tech journalist Alex Goldman pointed out unverified speculation regarding mod emails allegedly having .gov domains, which feeds into a narrative that 4chan is monitored by federal law enforcement, a popular notion among Soyjack users.
Despite claims of moderators and janitors having .gov emails and most IP addresses being centered around Washington, D.C., there is little concrete evidence to support these assertions. Although screenshots of the hack are circulating, proof of government agents on the site remains elusive. In fact, several individuals have reportedly analyzed the leaked data and found no .gov emails. Critics question the logic of federal agents using official email addresses for undercover operations, suggesting skepticism is warranted regarding claims about the hack’s revelations.