125GB Of Twitch Data Leaked Online

Before I get into things here today, I want to say, don’t panic. This enormous leak does not contain any user data according to multiple articles, including Polygon. Nevertheless, Twitch is advising users to change passwords, employ the use of two-factor authentication methods, and reset stream keys. It is no guarantee that user data is uncompromised in this leak, but it is better to proceed with caution in these cases.

With all that said, as reported by Video Game Chronicle first and later The Verge, a torrent the size of 125GB is currently on the online forum site, 4Chan. The torrent appeared early Wednesday morning and is said to contain the source code for Twitch, creator payouts since 2019, and quite a hefty chunk more, including data for a Steam competitor (codenamed Vapor) and “every other property that Twitch owns.” One internal source that VGC spoke with has confirmed that the leak is, indeed, legitimate. The source also states the data was only obtained as recently as Monday, which raises quite a few concerns over how easy this was for the hacker.

According to VGC, those that have already started trawling through the massive amount of data, at least one user says that encrypted passwords are included. Though take this with a grain of salt. Stay calm, go to your account, reset your password, enable two-factor authentication, and reset your stream key. This should be the simplest way to protect your data. The reason I say this is that the anonymous leaker of the documents thus far is also noted as saying this is only part one, with no details of further data dumps. The Verge notes that dump is created to “foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space.”

Personally, I don’t see how this is going to disrupt anything other than force people to reset passwords. Streamers will go where the viewers are, and the viewers aren’t often swayed en masse by leaks such as these when there is almost no competition in sight. Though this does come following months of Streamers calling for action by the platform to halt what is called “hate raids,” a form of abuse seemingly used against marginalized streamers to do nothing but cause abuse and create a divide. The user that leaked this data employed a similar phrase to that used by streamers and viewers back in August, #DoBetterTwitch. The leaker described the Twitch community as a “disgusting toxic cesspool.” I’ll hold my comments about 4Chan and 8Chan.

If we find out more about this, we will provide it when we can.