TWITCH REFLEX
125GB of data from the streaming giant TWITCH was leaked. What’s next?
such as saying the above came from
an examination of “information
included in the files exposed”. This is
because the hackers behind the
attack referred to the leak as “part
one”, implying that there’s more to
come in the future.LEAK POINT
The news could hardly have come at
a worse time for Twitch, after a year
in which it’s struggled to deal with
the new phenomenon of hate raids
and faced the #dayoffTwitch protests
from streamers unhappy with the
platform’s reaction to this and other
issues. Nevertheless, what at first
looked like a potentially catastrophicO
n October 6, 2021 a
125GB torrent
appeared online,
accompanied by a
screed about Twitch,
claiming to include the site’s source
code, unannounced projects, and
streamer earnings. The next day
Twitch confirmed the breach was
real. “It will send a shudder down
[the spine of] any hardened infosec
professional,” said ThreatModeler
CEO Archie Agarwal. “This is as
bad as it could possibly be.”
As Twitch grappled with the fallout,
more information came to light: the
company claimed user passwords
and financial information outside of
the streamer payouts were not
exposed. It also confirmed that the
incident was the result of a server
configuration error “that allowed
improper access by an unauthorised
third party”. The issue is now fixed.
Notably, Twitch’s statements
continue to include wiggle-room,“THE NEWS COULD
HARDLY HAVE COME
AT A WORSE TIME
FOR TWITCH”MONITOR
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