Almost everything that makes up Twitch, from its source code to details of how much people are paid, is part of a major 125GB leak.
Lots of comedians have some variation of a joke that involves having printed out or downloaded the entirety of the internet, but that’s essentially exactly what’s just happened to Twitch.
An anonymous hacker hasn’t just obtained some passwords or insider information, they’ve managed to download almost everything that makes the service what it is – including its source code.
A 125GB splat of data was uploaded to 4chan and includes every single comment ever made on the service, files on Amazon’s abandoned Steam rival, and details of how much creators were paid for the year 2019.
The hacker claims they did it to punish Twitch for being a ‘disgusting toxic cesspool’ and to ‘foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space’.
The original 4chan post uses the hashtag #DoBetterTwitch, which has previously been used by people upset that Twitch doesn’t do enough to protect minorities and guard against things like hate raids.
What fallout there’ll be from all this is hard to tell at the moment, not least because nobody’s gone through all the data yet and there could be much more to it than is currently known.
For obvious reasons we’re not going to get into any of the details, but the leak supposedly includes SDKs (software development kits) and internal AWS (Amazon Web Services) tools, as well as red teaming tools used to test the software against hackers (we guess that didn’t work), and source code for other properties like IGDB (Internet Game Database) and CurseForge.
The most interesting software leak though is an unreleased Steam rival called Vapor, and related game/chat software called Vapeworld. Obviously, that was never officially announced but it’s unclear if the project was completely abandoned.
The details about how much streamers earn will no doubt start to seep out over the next few days, but the same hacker claims that this is only part one of the leak, so there could be more up-to-date information later.
How to change your Twitch password
While the leak may seem funny at first, it’s rumoured to include passwords and other user data, and even if it doesn’t it’s clear Twitch’s servers are not secure.
As such, you’re advised to change your password as soon as possible, which is very easy to do if you log in to Twitch with your current username and password and follow these instructions:
- Click your avatar in the top right-hand corner and select Settings.
- Select the Security and Privacy option and then ‘change password’.
- Change your password (obviously) but try and use Password Generator or similar to create something that’s as a safe as possible and can’t be guessed by people that know you.
How to set-up Twitch two-factor authentication
For extra safety you should also turn on two-factor authentication, which again is very easy to do. It’ll mean you’ll have to prove you’re you when you log in from a new device or browser but it’s much safer that way.
- Click your avatar in the top right-hand corner and select Settings.
- Select the Security and Privacy option and then Security.
- Choose the Edit Two-Factor Authentication option and follow the instructions.
You’ll have to chose whether to do the authentication via a text or using an app like Google Authenticator, but it’s the same difference either way and only takes a minute to set up.
https://t.co/7vTDeRA9vt got leaked. Like, the entire website; Source code with comments for the website and various console/phone versions, refrences to an unreleased steam competitor, payouts, encrypted passwords that kinda thing.
Might wana change your passwords.— Sinoc (@Sinoc229) October 6, 2021
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