Twitch has been hacked
Twitch, the popular streaming platform with over 40 million registered users in the US alone, has been hacked. A tremendous amount of data has been made publicly available, including the code that makes the website work and the money that creators earnt directly from Twitch in 2019.
Sadly, it has also been claimed that contained within the 125GB of leaked information (that’s a lot of data), are usernames and passwords of registered users. It isn’t clear if this all of the users, or just some, but there is speculation that there is more data to come.
On top of this, if you use the platform to broadcast live streams, your ‘stream key’ could have been leaked. Anyone with your stream key will be able to stream to your channel.
The good news is, there are things you can do right now to protect your account from unauthorized access.
Change your password
If you have an account with Twitch, the first thing you should do is change your password.
To do this:
- Login to Twitch
- At the top right hand side of the screen is your profile picture. Click on it.
- In the menu that appears, click on Settings.
- In Settings, click on Security and Privacy.
- Click Change Password.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Another good idea is to enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA, sometimes known as Multi Factor Authentication). This will require a mobile device with an Authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator.
To do this:
- Login to Twitch
- At the top right hand side of the scre0en is your profile picture. Click on it.
- In the menu that appears, click on Settings.
- In Settings, click on Security and Privacy.
- Click Enable Two Factor Authentication. If you see Edit Two Factor Authentication, then you already have it enabled.
- Follow the on screen instructions.
Change your Stream Key
If you stream to Twitch, a good idea is to reset your stream key. In case stream keys have been leaked, resetting your stream key means that no one else will be able to stream to your channel.
To do this:
- Login to Twitch
- At the top right hand side of the screen is your profile picture. Click on it.
- In the menu that appears, click on Creator Dashboard.
- In the left hand side navigation menu, click on Settings. Then click on Stream.
- In the Primary Stream key row, click on “Reset”.
Once you have done this, you will need to change your stream key in whatever software you use to stream.
Update: Twitch have started sending e-mails to streamers advising them that they have automatically reset their stream keys as a precaution. Check your e-mail first to see if they have already done this for you.
Change your password on other websites
If the email address and password you use to login to Twitch is the same login for other websites or online services, it is recommended that you change the password on those too. This is because if someone has obtained a login, then they could try to login to these other websites and services with those logins. They will likely try other gaming services, such as Steam, Xbox or PlayStation, so make those a priority.
Mat Hasker is our Global Web Director, web specialist, gamer, writer and musician
