To update: Twitch has confirmed that their data has been breached, but has yet to comment on the severity of the issue. "We will update the community as soon as additional information is available," reads a short statement from Twitter. "Thanks for putting up with us."
We can confirm that a violation has occurred. Our teams are working urgently to understand the scope of this. We will update the community as soon as additional information is available. Thanks for supporting us.
- Twitch (@Twitch) October 6, 2021
Twitch has reportedly been hit by a major leak after an anonymous hacker posted a torrent file containing a large amount of data for the public to access.
According to a report by VGC, the hacker posted a 125GB torrent link to 4chan on Wednesday, allegedly leaking "the entirety" of Twitch's source code along with pay reports from 2019 creators, Twitch clients for mobile devices, desktops and consoles, proprietary services. and even "an unreleased Steam competitor, codenamed Steam, from Amazon Game Studios."
Some have already started digging into the torrent to find out what other data points are currently on public display, with one person claiming that encrypted passwords have also been compromised in the leak. As with any data breach, account holders are advised to change their passwords and enable two-factor authentication for additional protection.
Twitch has yet to comment publicly on the matter; we have reached out to obtain a statement.
Among the sensitive information released in the leak, the torrent reportedly shared creator pay reports dating back to 2019, showing the exact amount various streamers have earned on Twitch. A comprehensive list that exposes the gross payments of the apparently highest paid users reveal seven-figure totals for many of the site's most popular creators.
The anonymous person behind the Twitch attack has apparently claimed that this is only the first part of the content they plan to release to the public, allegedly claiming that they are leaking information with the intention of encouraging "more disruption and competition in the online video space. transmission "because" their community is a disgusting toxic cesspool.
Twitch has found itself in rough waters in recent months, with several streamers go on strike on September 1 in an attempt to incite the platform to take action against hate forays targeting marginalized users of the site. Community members criticized Twitch for its slow response to problematic behavior and called for its policies to be changed.
Twitch is said to be working on its channel-level ban evasion detection and account enhancements to combat hate speech and malicious behavior, and has asked streamers to continue to report these incidents. However, despite its assurances, many streamers feel that Twitch has not acted effectively or quickly enough to combat hate attacks on the platform.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
