TWITCH HACKING. An activist hacker released confidential data from the Twitch streaming platform. The source code of applications, secret projects and financial information are circulating on the Net.

TWITCH HACKING. An activist hacker released confidential data from the Twitch streaming platform. The source code of applications, secret projects and financial information are circulating on the Net.

[Mis à jour le jeudi 7 octobre à 11 h 30] This is the event that has been shaking the Web since yesterday, Wednesday October 6, 2021. An anonymous hacker posted on the forum 4Chan a torrent link leading to a gigantic directory containing nearly 125 gigabytes of ultra-sensitive data relating to Twitch, the streaming platform specializing – but not only – in video games, a subsidiary of the global giant Amazon. The file contains all source code the platform and its various applications for computers, telephones, gaming consoles and connected TVs, the code of several secret projects under development – including that of a hypothetical platform for the sale of dematerialized games, called Vapor and intended to compete with Steam -, as well as the list of income paid by Twitch to its 10,000 biggest streamers over the past three years. On the other hand, the personal data of users of the platform does not seem, to date, to be part of the information contained in the files uploaded by the hacker.

Hack confirmed by Twitch

The information was revealed by the site VGC (Video Games Chronicle) yesterday at the start of the day, indicating at the same time to have obtained confirmation, via an anonymous source internal to the company, that the leak was very real. If the authenticity of these data was the subject of doubt during the hours which followed their publication, their veracity now seems certain. The company itself reacted via its Twitter account in the early evening, acknowledging that an intrusion had taken place in its system.

The hacker behind this leak justified his action by designating the platform’s community as a “disgusting and toxic cesspool” and indicating want “inspire more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space”. These comments seem to refer to the many controversies targeting the company and its inaction, whether proven or supposed, in the face of hateful content and harassment practices that exist on the platform and target certain creators on ethnic or gender bases. This act of piracy therefore seems, a priori, more motivated by ideological reasons than by the greed via the resale of stolen data. The hacker also indicated that the files disseminated did not constitute that a first part data in its possession, and that other publications would follow shortly. The soap opera is therefore far from over.

Twitch streamer revenue revealed

It is the subject that has aroused the most passions since the revelation of the data breach. Indeed, the sums paid by Twitch over the last three years to the 10,000 most important streamers of the platform have been revealed. The figures are, for some, impressive: at the top of the list, the accounts CriticalRole and xQcOW reached 9.6 and 8.4 million euros respectively over the period. The amounts revealed seem indeed genuine. ZeratoR, the biggest French streamer, whose name and income appear in the list, posted a message on Twitter to respond to an outbreak of nascent controversy, and confirmed that the data concerning him was correct. In addition, other French videographers, also concerned by the leak, would have confirmed to GamesVideo.com, on condition of anonymity, the veracity of the financial data concerning them, emphasizing that it is about turnover and not about profits.

The remuneration of content creators on Twitch, or more exactly its method of calculation and distribution, is at least opaque information, on which the company has shown itself little to speak since its creation. The platform also suffered a wave of criticism during the summer of 2021, after announcing, somewhat in the background it must be admitted, the downward revision of the unit price of subscriptions paid by spectators and part of which goes to streamers, thus automatically resulting in a loss of income for the latter. Twitch then justified its decision on the basis of internal studies, not broadcast, which would show that the fall in the price of subscriptions would increase their total number in the long term and therefore, ultimately, the income of streamers, and in particular of the smallest. . This debate is not yet closed.

Source code for Twitch apps in the wild

This list of financial data alone, if it will have a significant symbolic impact, is not the biggest problem posed to Twitch by this leak. It is the distribution of the entire source code of the platform and all its applications (for computers, phones, consoles and connected TVs) that risks giving the streaming giant a cold sweat. In addition to the obvious security dangers for the infrastructure presented by access to the source code by other hackers, it is the meticulous dissection of the algorithms for selecting and highlighting the content that is likely to have the effect. bomb in the weeks and months to come.

In the attention economy that social networks and streaming platforms represent, the algorithms that choose content worthy of taking center stage (homepages and recommendation threads) are raining and the good weather. They can propel a career in record time, or on the contrary keep it in a stagnation all the more frustrating as the creator concerned has no access to the rules which define the classification of the content. And it is these rules that could be deciphered through the cross analysis of source code and financial data released into the wild.

How do I change my password on Twitch?

At this stage and in view of the available elements, the personal data of users of the platform, and in particular their passwords, do not seem to be part of the information contained in the files disseminated. However, it is therefore recommended that all users change their password without delay and activate two-factor authentication in their account’s security settings. If you have a Twitch account, here’s how to change your password.

• Log in to your Twitch account, and click profile icon at the top right of the window.

• In the drop-down menu, click Settings.

• On the next page, select the tab Security and confidentiality and scroll until you find the section Security.

• Then click on Change Password then on Configure two-factor authentication and follow the steps of the modification procedure.