The video game streaming service Twitch was the target of a massive data breach Wednesday, with an unidentified hacker leaking 125 gigabytes of data, including source code and user payments, to the online imageboard 4Chan, according to PCGamer.
The website added that it was unclear at the time whether user data was exposed, but the hacker's 4Chan post claimed that the leak included code from Twitch's mobile, desktop and console clients, as well as proprietary software development kits (SDKs), payments to content creators and information regarding an unannounced competitor to PC gaming platform Steam.
Twitch confirmed the data breach on Twitter Wednesday.
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
The leak "opens a gigantic door for evildoers to find cracks in the system, lace malware and potentially steal sensitive information,” Ekram Ahmed, a spokesman for cybersecurity company Check Point, told The New York Times.
According to the same report, the information regarding content creators' earnings could not be verified, but it indicated that some users have been paid millions of dollars since 2019.