Twitch was reportedly targeted with a data leak that exposed the streaming platform's source code and creator payout information dating back to 2019 this week on October 6, according to a report from Video Game Chronicle.
An anonymous hacker posted a 125GB torrent link to 4Chan on Wednesday, which includes all the information mentioned above. VGC verified that these files are publicly available to download, just as the user said. Additionally, an anonymous source confirmed to VGC that the files within the posted torrent, including Twitch's source code, are legitimate.
The leak includes the following information, according to VGC:
- The entirety of Twitch’s source code with comment history “going back to its early beginnings”
- Creator payout reports from 2019
- Mobile, desktop and console Twitch clients
- Proprietary SDKs and internal AWS services used by Twitch
- “Every other property that Twitch owns” including IGDB and CurseForge
- An unreleased Steam competitor, codenamed Vapor, from Amazon Game Studios
- Twitch internal ‘red teaming’ tools (designed to improve security by having staff pretend to be hackers)
According to VGC's source, Twitch is aware of the breach internally, and believes that the data may have been obtained as early as Monday of this week. Twitter users have begun to dig through the files further, with some claiming that the leak also includes encrypted passwords. Those using Twitch (or any service on the internet in general, honestly) are highly encouraged to set up two factor authentication on their accounts. You can do this within Twitch directly by navigating to your settings, choosing Security and Privacy, and selecting the "edit two factor authentication" option in that menu. Additionally, you can use a password management app to help keep you safe.
As for the reason behind the leak, the user who posted the files said that they did it to "foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space," because "their community is a disgusting toxic cesspool." This is allegedly only the first content drop this leaker has planned, but they haven't stated what, or when, they plan to release next.