You might want to update your Twitch password and activate two-factor authentication ASAP. The streaming platform confirmed this morning that it has been hacked.
“We can confirm a breach has taken place,” reads a tweet from the official Twitch handle. “Our teams are working with urgency to understand the extent of this. We will update the community as soon as additional information is available. Thank you for bearing with us.”
The user who posted the torrent link outlined all of its contents on the forum:
Images of a spreadsheet revealing that “81 Twitch streamers have been paid more than $1 million by Twitch since August 2019” quickly found their way to other social media platforms, according to VGC. It’s a major breach of privacy that could have long-reaching consequences for the streaming service as well as its talent pool, which already finds itself on the receiving end of attacks by Twitch’s most toxic users. Ultimately, it’s too early to speculate how this will all play out as everyone navigates the chaos that’ll continue to unfold in the next few days.
The leaker claimed that today’s leak was just “part one,” promising more leaks to come to “foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space” beyond the “disgusting toxic cesspool” of Twitch.
The breach comes at a tumultuous time for Twitch, which has not only seen boycotts for its inability to stop “hate raids” against streamers on the platform but also recently faced reckonings for its allegedly toxic workplace culture as well as its handling of sexual misconduct cases within its community of streamers.
We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
