The Twitch leak of October 2021 caused quite a lot of controversy among users. And that, mainly had something to do with the income of the content creators. Some experts have even called it the biggest one among such leaks until now. The leak also included some other information apart from the steamers’ incomes since 2019.
You might have many questions regarding the matter as a Twitch user. The Twitch leak has revealed various interesting pieces of information, as we shall see. We will also take a look at how and why this leak happened and whether you need to worry.
Who Leaked Twitch and Where?
The Twitch leak was reported on 6th October 2021. An anonymous user had leaked pretty much the entire streaming platform on 4chan. And the torrent file they uploaded contained almost all of the information on Twitch. You can guess how big the leak was by the 135 GB size of the leaked file. This has concerned many users of the platform about what details were leaked.
How and Why did They Leak Twitch?
Twitch has explained the circumstances in which the leak occurred. According to them, the Twitch leak happened due to a server configuration issue. This problem with the configuration made the GitHub source code vulnerable. So, the hacker had used this as an opportunity to steal various information that they leaked.
According to the hacker, they wanted to affect Twitch’s monopoly as a gaming live stream platform. Apart from that, they also claimed that the platform has a toxic atmosphere. So, that is another reason they have stated for leaking Twitch.
What does the Leaked Data Include?
The person who posted the leak had also mentioned what the file includes. They have leaked the entire source code of Twitch. This also includes the comment history that reaches up to the early days of the platform.
Apart from that, the leak also features the desktop, mobile, and console clients for Twitch. It also includes data about the properties that Twitch owns.
Moreover, the leak has also revealed the internal AWS services and proprietary SDKs of the platform. Twitch uses various internal ‘red teaming’ tools to protect the platform from hackers. The leaked file contains data regarding these security tools as well. Apart from that, it also includes data about Vapor, a Steam competition that is in development.
But, most importantly, the Twitch leak has uncovered the crater payment records beginning from 2019. And, this is the part that most users are interested in. Many creators have admitted that the figures mentioned in the leak are accurate.
What does the Leak Say About the Income of Creators?
A lot of people have wondered about the income of the creators they follow on Twitch. And, as mentioned earlier, many creators have said that the payouts mentioned in the leak are accurate.
The platform has paid $1 million or more to 81 creators, according to the Twitch leak. Many creators might earn more from the platform than you had imagined. And, many of them might earn lower than what you had believed.
How to Delete Your Twitch Payment Information?
As we have seen, the leaked Twitch data also includes payment information. And, you might want to protect your account from such leaks. In that case, you must delete your payment information on the platform. And, that should help you prevent any such leaks in the future. You must go to your twitch profile to delete the payment information.
Open the Wallet section to view all your transactions to date. You will also find various payment information that you have saved in your account. And, that includes the payment method, among other important details. Click on Delete under Payment Methods to remove your credit card details or other such information.
You will have to enter the payment method during the next transaction if you delete the existing one. So, you must remember that when it is time to renew your subscription to a channel.
Protect Your Twitch Account
As a Twitch user, you might feel concerned about whether your personal data was leaked. Even if that is not the case, you must ensure optimal security for your account. After all, it would be wise to protect your account from further Twitch leaks.
Here are some essential steps you must take for that purpose:
Change Your Password
It is not clear whether your password was leaked along with the other data. The hacker seems to have left the personal information of the users alone. But, you might want to change your password to ensure your account’s security. Open your Twitch profile and go to the Settings menu. Then, navigate to the ‘Security & Privacy’ tab there to find your password.
Enter your current password to proceed with entering a new one. Then, type in the new password you want to set for your account. You must keep changing the password once in a while to ensure your account’s security.
Set Up a Two-Factor Authentication
Do you log into your Twitch account only using your password? Then, you must enable two-factor authentication to add extra security to your account. This security mode enables you to use your password and then a one-time code. And, you must provide your phone number where you want to receive the code for authentication.
Go to the Security and Privacy section of your account to set up two-factor authentication. Then, enter your password and provide the phone number where you want to receive the authentication code. Try out the authentication method once you are done.
Optimise Your Twitch Channel Privacy
Twitch streamers might face a wide range of privacy issues on the platform. Apart from that, you might also come across chat abuses, spam, and bots among other issues. Optimising your channel’s privacy settings can help you avoid these problems. So, make the necessary changes for accomplishing that and get proper guidance, if required.