Who leaked Twitch source code? Hackers share 126GB torrent file on 4chan
A group of people believed to be a part of the Anonymous hacker collective has leaked Twitch source code along with streamer payout reports through a torrent file posted on the 4chan discussion board on Wednesday, October 6. Anonymous said they revealed the data in response to so-called “hate raids” where “groups of malicious users employ dummy accounts and bots to fill a streamer’s chat with targeted abuse,” as reported by The Washington Post.
Referring to the Twitch community as a “disgusting toxic cesspool,” the hackers said, “to foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space, we have completely pwned them, and in part one, are releasing the source code from almost 6,000 internal Git repositories.” The 126GB torrent file shared on 4chan includes, “entirety of twitch.tv, with commit history going back to its early beginnings; mobile, desktop and video game console Twitch clients; various proprietary SDKs and internal AWS services used by Twitch; every other property that Twitch owns including IGDB and CurseForge; an unreleased Steam competitor from Amazon Game Studios; Twitch SOC internal red teaming tools; and creator payout reports dating back to 2019.”
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Anonymous’ post on 4chan also mentioned the #DoBetterTwitch hashtag, similar to a previous hashtag #TwitchDoBetter, aimed to draw the attention of the TV network towards the issues like harassment and an unfavorable pay split. A Twitch streamer RekItRaven, who started the initial hashtag, said at the time, “I’m just tired of it. I’m tired of feeling like I’m not allowed to exist based on circumstances that are out of my control, and I know other people are too.”
Another Black streamer, who uses “PleasantlyTwstd” on Twitch, had added: “Every marginalized identity creator I know has at least one story, baseline, even if they don’t stream regularly. The thing that’s most terrifying is that the hate is aimed at all of us equally. Size, frequency, status — none of it matters. They look out for the marginalized identity and go to work.”
The leak has been titled, “part one”, hinting that more leaks will be made in the future. Though no data of users were leaked, they have been advised to change their passwords, set up two-factor authentication, and reset their stream key to protect their data. Meanwhile, Twitter was filled with people's reactions to the whole drama.
A user wrote, “I like these websites who make you get a 54 character password, sends you an e-mail and a text before they let you sign in ‘for safety reasons’ but also they get leaked.” The second user stated, “Pwds weren't leaked, but that doesn't mean they can't be obtained now that we have the sourc ecode and the SDKs. Passwords were not leaked, but can be obtained. Change your passwords and/or delete your account.” “since we all watch these dumb mcyt streamers its a good idea to change your twitch password and check 2 factor authentication is on ! just makes sure your account is secure and safe especially after recent leaks,” the third one added.
I like these websites who make you get a 54 character password, sends you an e-mail and a text before they let you sign in "for safety reasons" but also they get leaked
— Jonas (@Jocw27) October 6, 2021
Pwds weren't leaked, but that doesn't mean they can't be obtained now that we have the sourc ecode and the SDKs.
— AlexTECPlayz (@realTECPlayz) October 6, 2021
Passwords were not leaked, but can be obtained. Change your passwords and/or delete your account.
since we all watch these dumb mcyt streamers its a good idea to change your twitch password and check 2 factor authentication is on ! just makes sure your account is secure and safe especially after recent leaks
— josie lovejoy (@elytragogy) October 6, 2021