Tag: twitch

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Twitch blames data breach on error in a ‘server configuration change’

Twitch issued a couple of minor updates following the massive security breach on Wednesday that saw the source code, creator payouts and more leaked online.

In the first of two updates posted on the Twitch blog, the Amazon-owned streaming platform said an “error in a Twitch server configuration change” caused the breach:

“We have learned that some data was exposed to the internet due to an error in a Twitch server configuration change that was subsequently accessed by a malicious third party. Our teams are working with urgency to investigate the incident.”

It’s worth noting that Facebook blamed its recent outage on a similar configuration problem.

I feel I’d also be remiss not to point out that Twitch saying “some data was exposed” downplays the breach, which allegedly leaked the entirety of Twitch. To be fair, Twitch goes on to explain that it’s still trying to “understand the impact in detail.”

Further, the streaming platform says that it has “no indication that login credentials have been exposed.”

However, reporting on login credentials is mixed. Some publications, including MobileSyrup, reported that login credential don’t appear to be included in the over 125GB of data leaked online. 9to5Mac cites a developer going by ‘Sinoc‘ on Twitter who says that the data included encrypted passwords. While the encryption hopefully will keep the passwords safe, it may be best to change your Twitch password and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) just in case.

Twitch also wrote in its first blog update that the breach didn’t expose full credit card numbers because it doesn’t store full credit card numbers.

In the second update, Twitch says it reset all stream keys “out of an abundance of caution.” That means some people may need to go here to get a new stream key and add the new key to their broadcasting software to start streaming again. The change shouldn’t impact most users, but it depends on how your stream is set up.

You can read Twitch’s updates here.

Source: Twitch Via: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Twitch confirms data breach, leaker calls community a ‘toxic cesspool’

Popular streaming platform Twitch confirmed on Twitter that it suffered a data breach.

The Amazon-owned service says its “teams are working with urgency to understand the extent of this.”

Hackers accessed Twitch’s source code and published over 125GB of data online from Twitch and related services.

The data includes the source code for Twitch and an unreleased Steam competitor from Twitch’s parent company, Amazon. The leaked information also included three years’ worth of payouts to Twitch creators. Further, the massive leak was labelled ‘part one,’ suggesting more data could come in the future.

The person who posted the leak claims it’s meant to “foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space” and called the Twitch community “a disgusting toxic cesspool.”

It’s worth noting that Twitch has recently struggled to deal with ‘hate raids.’ Creators took a day off last month to protest and bring attention to the increased harassment and hate raids plaguing the platform. Considering the comment about Twitch’s community, it’s possible the attack could be related to the ongoing harassment issue.

Although the leak doesn’t appear to include passwords or address information for users, that doesn’t mean hackers didn’t obtain that information in the breach. If you use Twitch, you should probably update your password and add two-factor authentication (2FA).

The leak includes the following information:

  • Three years of Twitch creator payouts
  • The entirety of twitch.tv, including “commit history going back to its early beginnings”
  • Source code for the mobile, desktop and video game console Twitch clients
  • Code from proprietary SDKs and internal Amazon Web Services (AWS) used by Twitch
  • An unreleased Steam competitor from Amazon Game Studios
  • Data on related Twitch properties like IGDB and CurseForge
  • Twitch’s internal security tools

Ultimately, it appears hackers targeted Twitch and its system rather than users. But again, this is also allegedly the first part of a larger leak. It also remains unclear how hackers gained access to so much Twitch data and whether they exploited a larger flaw in AWS. If so, that could pose significant problems since AWS powers such a larger amount of the internet.

Source: Twitch Via: The Verge, Engadget

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Mobile Syrup

I visited Jagmeet Singh’s dream island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

New Democratic Party leader and federal election candidate Jagmeet Singh is inviting voters to visit his private island — in Animal Crossing: New Horizons (AC:NH), of course.

Singh sent a tweet on September 14th announcing the NDP had designed a visitable in-game island using AC:NH’s ‘dreaming’ feature, which allows you to save and upload an online snapshot of your island that other players can walk through.

The Animal Crossing island is one of several tactics taken up by the federal NDP this election to try to reach a different sort of voter than is typically targeted on the campaign trail: i.e. younger, very online Canadians.

Singh’s popularity on TikTok, where he’s amassed 807.7K followers and 7.6M likes, has garnered much media attention, in large part because he’s the only candidate with a presence on the platform — a telling oversight given TikTok was the most downloaded app in the world in 2020.

Mixing politics with video games is not a new approach for the party, as Singh joined Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a few rounds of Among Us on Twitch in November 2020. Singh also hosted his own Twitch stream of him and friends playing Gartic Phone just this week on September 15th.

This latest venture into the world of AC:NH is one that Nintendo itself is technically not a fan of, as the company’s updated its content guidelines for the game in November 2020 to include a request that players “please also refrain from bringing politics into the game.”

That’s too bad for Nintendo, because according to the lawn signs I saw on my tour of the NDP’s island, there are at least eight villagers in the AC:NH roster who’ve caught the orange wave: Broccoli, Chadder, Flurry, Rizzo, Rod, Tammy, Tutu, and Wolfgang.

To access the island, you need a Dream Code, which the NDP gave out provided you signed up via text message.

First off, the most important detail: the native fruit on the NDP island is peaches.

Other details were more predictable: The island itself is named “Canada,” the town hall flag is the Canadian flag, the custom tune that jingles every time you enter a home is the opening bars to “O Canada,” and the roads are lined with orange flowers.

Visitors can check out the island’s many attractions, including a hospital, a bank, a school, a national park (with a wild bear?!), an outdoor hockey rink, a “Punjabi Poutine” truck, a row of solar panels and wind turbines, and a polling station complete with voting booths and orange confetti machine.

There’s also a house refurbished as an art gallery, which features three works of art: ‘We Are Still Here’ and ‘Thunderbirds’ by Anishinaabe artist Blake Angeconeb and ‘Thunder Bay’ by Blake Angeconeb and Mad Dog Jones.

Meanwhile, at Jagmeet’s house, there’s a campaign HQ, a martial arts gym, and a baby room — a little nod to the recent announcement that Singh and his wife are expecting their first child.

I ran into “Jagmeet” himself campaigning around the island, who encouraged me to check out the town bulletin board. On the board were a number of NDP campaign talking points posted by someone named “Volunteer” all themed to suit the game, such as “Our island has real solutions to fix the climate crisis” and “Every villager should be able to afford a safe home.”

Speaking of the Volunteer, they’re the other player character found wandering the island. Decked out in NDP merch — the custom designs are available to download at a kiosk in the town square — the tired-looking Volunteer just repeats creepily the word “NDP” every time you talk to them.

The stacks of fliers scattered throughout the town with Singh’s pixelated face printed on them also came off a bit uncanny.

All that said, my biggest concern is that the museum itself was nearly empty — I mean, as both a gamer and a patron of the arts, how can I trust their political promises without seeing evidence of their fishing, digging, bug catching, and art collecting hustle?

To learn more about the upcoming 2021 Canadian federal election, check MobileSyrup‘s tech-and-telecom-focused guide to each major party’s platform promises.