All Twitch Customer Data Leaked

Users of the popular gaming platform Twitch should be on alert; a recent data breach has exposed all customers’ data, including encrypted passwords and payout details.

What Happened?

According to various news sources, an anonymous hacker has leaked the entirety of Twitch’s database, including source code, user credentials, and payouts. The hacker released the information in a 128GB torrent file to “4chan” (a public discussion forum) on Wednesday to “foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space” because “their community is a disgusting toxic cesspool.”

Video Games Chronicle (VGC) claims that the information has been verified, and it is publicly downloadable on 4chan. Furthermore, an anonymous source told VGC that the data is legitimate as is the source code.

Twitch is owned by Amazon who has acknowledged the data breach and says the information was collected on Monday. They are investigating internally. So far Twitch nor Amazon has made any public comment.

What Was Leaked?

According to Press Start magazine, the information gained by hackers and leaked included:

• “The entirety of Twitch.tv including comment history.
• The mobile, desktop, and video game console Twitch clients.
• Various proprietary SDKs and internal AWS services used by Twitch.
• Additional properties owned by Twitch, including IGDB and CurseForge.
• An unreleased Steam competitor from Amazon Game Studios.
• Twitch SOC internal red teaming tools.
• Creator payout reports from 2019 onward.”

Additionally, VGC says the data also includes:

• “The entirety of Twitch’s source code with comment history “going back to its early beginnings.”
• Twitch internal ‘red teaming’ tools (designed to improve security by having staff pretend to be hackers).”

Some Twitter users have downloaded the data, examined it, and confirmed that passwords are also included in the mix.

According to Press Start,

“Another interesting feature of the data is the presence of Unity code for a game called Vapeworld. From what we can tell, this appears to be a chat software based on Vapor, the code name for Amazon’s unreleased Steam competitor.”

The information leaked also shows that popular gamers such as Shroud, Nickmercs, and DrLupo have earned millions of dollars using the streaming gamer service. However, the information does not include the millions that gamers have earned through sponsorships, endorsements, merchandise, and YouTube channels.

The hacker also mentioned that this data is only the first installment, but he/she didn’t provide any details about what additional details would be released.

What to Do if You are a Twitch User

Twitch is urging all customers to turn on two-factor authentication immediately. When you or anyone else attempts to log into your account, you will receive a text message you have to enter to verify your identity. Instructions on how to do this are as follows:

• Log on to Twitch, click your avatar and choose Settings.
• Tap Security and Privacy, then scroll down to the Security setting.
• Choose Edit Two-Factor Authentication to see if it’s already activated. If not, follow the instructions to turn it on (you’ll need your phone).

Additionally, all users should change their passwords immediately and use long, strong passwords that they do not use on any other websites.

Additional security tips include:

• Regularly monitor any credit card or bank accounts associated with these services.
• Watch out for phishing emails claiming to be from Twitch or Amazon.
• Always verify the sender of an email.
• Never click links in or download attachments from emails.
• Never share personal information with anyone online.

Twitch has been criticized for not taking security seriously enough. However, this data breach may prove to be the catalyst for change within the community.