Twitch Downplays Fallout From Massively Embarrassing Security Breach
The Twitch data breach left content creators and viewers scrambling to reset their passwords and stream keys. It was not clear how much data had actually been accessed at that time, so users were also encouraged to enable two-factor authentication (2FA).
Many people had legitimate cause for concern as not only was their personal information at risk, but also their credit card and/or ACH/bank information. Not too long after the leak was announced, Twitch blamed the hack on a server configuration error.
In today’s blog post, which was announced on its Twitter account, Twitch said that passwords were in fact not exposed. Twitch also stated it was confident its systems that store login credentials was not accessed and “full” credit card numbers and bank information had not been accessed either. This may come as little consolation to all those who feared their data had in fact been hacked.
As to the "small fraction of users" Twitch mentioned had been affected, they should probably be expecting an email from Twitch letting them know. Some of these may have included a number of Twitch content creators that had their 2019 monthly incomes plastered all over social media last week following the breach.
It will be interesting to see if anything else surfaces from the hack in the coming days and weeks. When all of this was first reported last week, the leak was listed as "Part 1," leaving everyone wondering what might be contained in a second leak. If what Twitch said today is true, it is interesting to think what else could be revealed.
Regardless of how Twitch’s recent hack affected you, it is always a good idea to periodically update and change your login information on all websites. It is also a really good idea to enable 2FA if available. In today’s online society you can never take too many precautions.
If you receive confirmation from Twitch that your information was indeed part of the small fraction, we want to know. Let us know down in the comments, or find us on social media and tell us there.
