4chan Hack Exploit Explanation

I'm going to be clearing some things up about the hack... What was the exploit used? Contrary to popular belief, it was not SQL injection. The exploit is such: 4chan allows uploading PDF to certain boards (/g/, /po/, /gst, /sci/, /tg/) They neglected to verify that the uploaded file is actually a PDF file. As such, PostScript files, containing PostScript drawing commands, can be uploaded. Said PostScript file will be passed into Ghostscript to generate a thumbnail image. The version of Ghostscript that 4chan uses is from 2012, so it is trivial to exploit. From there, we exploit a mistaken said binary to elevate to the global user. I am a 4chan Pass user, is my data at risk? NO. I am not interested in leaking user data. I do not possess this information. I verified my email on 4chan, do you now have my email? NO. This is not possible because 4chan hashes user emails. Other stuff. There are no janitors or mods on 4chan with a .gov email address. This is a mistruth.

Скриншот поста на 4chan с аниме-девушкой в костюме ведьмы, где автор подробно объясняет технический взлом через загрузку поддельного PDF-файла и Ghostscript. Вопросы о риске для пользователей и раскрытии электронной почты получают успокаивающие ответы «NO», поэтому мем высмеивает чрезмерно серьёзное и сомнительно написанное объяснение хака. EN: A 4chan post screenshot featuring an anime girl in a witch costume, where the author gives a detailed explanation of a technical hack involving an improperly validated PDF upload and Ghostscript. Questions about user risk and email exposure receive reassuring “NO” answers, so the meme mocks an overly serious and suspiciously written hacking explanation.

• @gentoomemes / 16907 2025-04-16