Twitch breach: Hacker leaks Amazon-owned site's source code and payouts to streamers, creators

The latest online victim of a data breach: streaming platform Twitch, which apparently had its source code posted online along with what it pays streamers.

An anonymous hacker posted a link to a 125-gigabyte file reportedly containing Twitch's data, according to several tech media outlets including Video Games Chronicle. The news site verified the files mentioned on 4chan are publicly available to download.

The anonymous hacker said the leak was meant to “foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space” because Twitch “is a disgusting toxic cesspool," the site reported.

Twitch confirmed the breach posting a statement on Twitter: "We can confirm a breach has taken place. 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."

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The leaked data apparently does not include Twitch users' passwords or address information, but the leak is labeled as "part one," tech news site The Verge reported.

Twitch users should change their passwords and enable two-factor authentication on their accounts, said Ekram Ahmed of cybersecurity firm Check Point Software Technologies of Santa Clara, California. “Anytime source code gets leaked it’s not good and potentially disastrous," he said. "It opens a gigantic door for evildoers to find cracks in the system, lace malware, and potentially steal sensitive information."

Cyber attacks involving phishing attempts and malware have increased 40% over 2020, Check Point has found. "I strongly recommend all Twitch users to exercise caution in the near-term ahead as cyber attacks are on the rise," Ahmed said.

Supposedly included in the leaked data are three years' worth of Twitch's payments to streaming creators, source code for Twitch's mobile, desktop and video game console apps, and data on an unreleased Amazon competitor to PC game store Steam, PC World reported.

It cited a Twitter thread by security researcher Troy Hunt suggesting the payment information is accurate. 

Interest in the breach is high, as the hashtag #Twitchleak was trending Wednesday. Those following the revelations had some thoughts. One tweet read that the hacker's position on Twitch as a "disgusting toxic cesspool," was ironic given 4chan's history as a home for online hate chat. 

Another noted Twitch had poked fun at Facebook during its recent outage. "That didn't age well."

Twitch, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in June, has more than 30 million people who visit the site daily

Last month, content creators and others on Twitch staged a boycott to protest the platform's failure to stop "hate raids," in which automated bot accounts flood a streamer's chat with hateful comments.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.