Twitch source code, streamer earning information and more leaked – report
Twitch may have been hacked, resulting in the streaming platform's source code, encrypted passwords and more being made available online.
It looks like Twitch has become the victim of an anonymous hacker who claims to have obtained a wealth of data about the streaming platform, including source code, Twitch's mobile, desktop and console clients, passwords, streamer payout information and much more besides.
The leak originated on 4chan, where the user responsible for postingit noted their intention in uploading this information was to disrupt the online video streaming space, citing Twitch's "toxic" community as a motivating factor.
If you have a Twitch account, it's probably best that you either alter your password or enable two-factor authentication to safeguard your account and your payment details.
VGC reports that an "anonymous company source has stated that the leaked data is legitmate," though at the time of writing Twitch has yet to offer a formal statement.
The leak is substantial: it includes source code for the site that goes back to the very beginning of the platform's life, as well as internal Twitch tools that the company uses to pretend to be hackers in order to test the site's security. Clearly there were some oversights, there, though.
The leak also contains a wealth of data (pun intended) about creator payouts, though it's worth noting these are slightly out-of-date and are dated 2019. So don't take them at face value.
The gross payouts of the top 100 highest-paid Twitch streamers from August 2019 until October 2021: pic.twitter.com/3Lj9pb2aBl
— KnowSomething (@KnowS0mething) October 6, 2021
There are also references to an unreleased Steam and Epic Games Store competitor, which is codenamed Vapor, which appears to be in the works at Amazon Game Studios. It'll seemingly natively integrate a lot of Twitch features and hosts a game called Vapeworld (also unannounced and unreleased) that may be a VR hub and social space.
As per the leaker, this is just the first batch of information that's been obtained – though details about what else has been hacked and when it'll be released remain to be seen.
VG247 can confirm that the files exist as part of a 125GB torrent, but we have not downloaded the data.
This is just the latest in a long line of problems plaguing the platform – recently, we've seen Twitch launch new verification steps to combat hate raids and the company is looking into letting viewers pay to advertise streamer channels.