XKCD Forums

The XKCD Forums, also known as the XKCD Webcomic Forums, operate as an online discussion platform dedicated to the fans of the XKCD webcomic. The forum provides a space where users can discuss comic strips, share interpretations, and engage in broader conversations about topics that frequently appear in the comic. As a community‑driven site, it relies on user‑generated content and moderation to maintain conversations. The service is accessible via a standard web interface and is built on the phpBB forum software. The primary audience consists of readers of the XKCD webcomic. The forum’s purpose is to foster community interaction around the comic’s themes and humor.

The forum’s scale became evident during a data breach reported on July 1, 2019, which exposed personal information of approximately 562,000 registered users, including usernames, email addresses, IP addresses, and MD5‑hashed passwords. The breach led to the temporary takedown of the site while administrators conducted a security review after the leaked dataset appeared publicly. Exposure of the data raised concerns about credential stuffing attacks, given the likelihood of password reuse across other online services. The incident highlighted that the forum stored passwords using the MD5 algorithm, a practice considered weak by contemporary security standards. Although the forum’s headquarters is located in the United States of America, details regarding its ownership, parent organization, or subsidiary structure are not disclosed in the available sources. Consequently, the profile is limited to the confirmed facts about its service, user base, and the reported security incident.