Update: Twitch has confirmed that its data has been breached, but has not yet commented on the severity of the issue. "We will update the community as soon as additional information is available," reads a short Twitter statement. "Thank you for bearing with us."
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.
— Twitch (@Twitch) October 6, 2021
Twitch has reportedly been hit by a huge leak after an anonymous hacker posted a torrent file containing a vast amount of data for the public to access.
According to a report by VGC, the hacker posted a 125GB torrent link to 4chan on Wednesday, reportedly leaking "the entirety" of Twitch's source code along with creator payout reports from 2019, mobile, desktop and console Twitch clients, proprietary services, and even "an unreleased Steam competitor, codenamed Vapor, from Amazon Game Studios."
Some have already started digging into the torrent to discover which other data points are currently on public display, with one person claiming that encrypted passwords have also been compromised in the leak. As with any data breach, account holders would be advised to change their passwords and enable two-factor authentication for extra protection.
Twitch has not yet publicly commented on the issue – we've reached out for a statement.
Amongst the sensitive information released in the leak, the torrent allegedly shared creator payout reports dating back to 2019, showing the exact amount that various streamers have earned on Twitch. A comprehensive list exposing the gross payouts of the highest-paid users seemingly reveal seven-figure totals for many of the site's most popular creators.
The anonymous person behind the Twitch attack has apparently claimed that this is just the first part of the content they are planning to release to the public, allegedly stating that they are leaking information with the intention of fostering "more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space" because "their community is a disgusting toxic cesspool."
Twitch has found itself in turbulent waters in recent months, with a number of streamers going on strike on September 1 in a bid to prompt the platform to take action against hate raids directed towards marginalized users of the site. Members of the community criticised Twitch for its slow response to problematic behaviour and called for its policies to be changed.
Twitch is said to be working on its channel-level ban evasion detection and account improvements to combat hate speech and malicious behaviour, and has asked streamers to continue to report these incidents. However, despite its assurances, many streamers feel that Twitch hasn't acted effectively or quickly enough to combat hateful attacks on the platform.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.