Massive Twitch leak surfaces online including source code and streamer payouts

Twitch
Twitch (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • A Twitch breach could spell big trouble for Amazon's streaming platform.
  • The leak includes the entire source code for Twitch as well as personal information including streamer payouts.
  • Twitch has confirmed the reports but you should probably change your password and make sure 2FA is on.

Update: Twitch has now acknowledged the breach, saying it is working with "urgency" on the matter on social media.

— cantworkitout on October 6, 2021

Original post: Things could be about to get real messy for Twitch. The Amazon-owned streaming platform is the target of an alleged hack, leak, whatever you want to call it, but the end result is the same. A 125GB torrent of, well, everything that is Twitch has been made available on the shadier parts of the internet that could spell big trouble not only for Twitch, but for many attached to the platform.

— cantworkitout on October 6, 2021

The files that were made available through 4Chan have not been verified as authentic, nor has Twitch officially acknowledged the alleged leak, but if the data is legit, hoo boy. A company source speaking to VGC has though said it's the real deal.

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Not only is personal information in there, including user passwords, but also payout information for Twitch's top earners (tl;dr they're making millions as if you didn't already know that) and, more troublingly for Amazon at least, the entire source code for the platform.

Also surfacing as part of this leak is an Amazon-made Steam competitor that never saw the light of day. We're sure to hear much more on this if indeed it is a legitimate dump of Twitch data, but for now, you should probably protect yourself.

If you have a Twitch account, now is a good time to head on over, change your password, and make sure you have two-factor authentication (2FA) turned on. We'll update as and when Twitch comments on the leak.

Richard Devine
Managing Editor

Richard Devine is the Managing Editor at Windows Central, where he combines a deep love for the open-source community with expert-level technical coverage. Whether he’s hunting for the next big project on GitHub, fine-tuning a WSL workflow, or breaking down the latest meta in Call of Duty, Forza, and The Division 2, Richard focuses on making complex tech accessible to every kind of user. If it’s happening in the world of Windows or PC gaming, he’s probably already knee-deep in the code (or the lobbies). Follow him on X and Mastodon.