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Real-Time Service Alerts
Twitch’s huge headache
The thief is on what sounds like a moral crusade. This wasn’t just info exposed inadvertently on an unprotected database. It was deliberately stolen and then posted as a link on infamous internet forum 4chan with the intent to “foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space,” the anonymous poster wrote.
Twitch disclosed a data breach Wednesday, and it was far from an average, run-of-the-mill leak. This breach involved hundreds of gigabytes of sensitive company data, including platform source code, internal tooling and future product plans, like an Amazon-owned competitor to Valve’s Steam marketplace codenamed “Vapor.”
But where we can expect the most fallout is from more than two years’ worth of data pertaining to streamer payouts on the platform. Internet sleuths have already begun compiling this data into neat spreadsheets and working to verify it against publicly available info. All signs point to it being legitimate, though with some unexplained discrepancies. Twitch has yet to confirm the data’s veracity, but a few streamers told the BBC that the earnings reported for them was “accurate.”
Streamer earnings are a sensitive subject. The streaming landscape is quite new compared to the world of traditional celebrity, and much of it depends on a streamer’s ability to cultivate a daily friendlike fandom with internet strangers. So it’s come as a shock for some to see just how wealthy Twitch personalities are.
- The leak contains earnings stretching back to at least August 2019. It includes Twitch subscriber revenue after the platform’s 50% cut, and ad revenue, although the leak does not contain data on sponsorships, donations, merchandise or other financials that we know of right now.
- Twitch, like YouTube, has become a burgeoning creator ecosystem that largely advertises itself as a neutral platform where any one streamer can make it big through hard work, long hours and community building.
- However, Twitch also cuts lucrative deals with streamers, often renegotiating the cut it takes on subscriptions and the amount of money it may pay them upfront to stay on Twitch and not leave for YouTube or Facebook. Having streamer payouts laid bare may impose pressure on Twitch when negotiating such deals and make it potentially more difficult for streamers to cut competing deals.
The thief is on what sounds like a moral crusade. This wasn’t just info exposed inadvertently on an unprotected database. It was deliberately stolen and then posted as a link on infamous internet forum 4chan with the intent to “foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space,” the anonymous poster wrote.
- Twitch has become embroiled in a series of controversies over the last few years, ranging from its handling of harassment and music copyright strikes to the amount of support it gives certain big-name streamers over smaller creators. In late August, Twitch members organized a boycott of the platform over so-called “hate raids.”
- The 4chan poster, whose role in the hacking is unclear, referred to Twitch as a “disgusting toxic cesspool” and the leak, labeled “day one,” may be the beginning in a series of related data dumps.
- Despite the grand intentions, the leak exposes streamers to potential financial security and personal safety threats now that part of their net worth has been made public without their consent, as Motherboard reported.
Some streamers are open about how much money they make. Political commentator Hasan Piker, who the data indicates was the 13th highest-paid streamer since 2019, glibly wrote on Twitter, “Can’t wait for [people] to be mad at me about my publicly available sub count again,” because Piker opts to make this information available to anyone who views his streams. Many others, however, do not, in part because it can complicate one’s public image.
- The leak indicates 81 Twitch streamers have made more than $1 million from the platform in the last two years. Much like YouTube, these streamers can afford to stream for hours every day and can in the process become veritable and wealthy internet celebrities.
- The streaming ecosystem is imbalanced, with a vast majority of streamers making close to no money and streaming to anywhere from zero to 10 viewers on average. Smaller streamers have often complained about the struggles to attain viewership and exposure on Twitch, given the platform’s organization around a small handful of the most popular video games and streamers.
- Knowing payout information in blunt dollar figures will likely complicate an already-fragile landscape where most of the money flows to the top and breakout successes are pretty rare. Comparing streamers’ relative financial health and arguing over who “deserves” more or less money is already rampant on social media.
Twitch is now in the uncomfortable position of trying to investigate this leak and how it happened, combat future breaches down the line and regain the trust of its community all at the same time. It’s not clear right now how this data, regardless of its accuracy, will be weaponized and how it might influence the platform’s online and offline dynamics. But this information, once a closely guarded company secret, is now out in the open, and there’s no turning back.
— Nick Statt (email | twitter)
A version of this story first appeared on Protocol.com
A version of this story first appeared on Protocol.com
Dark Web ID’s Top Threats This Week
Sandhills Global
Exploit: Ransomware
Sandhills Global: IT & Digital Publishing
Risk to Business: 1.337 = Extreme
Digital publishing giant Sandhills Global was shut down this week by a ransomware attack. The company handles trade magazines and websites for major publications in the transportation, agricultural, aerospace, heavy machinery and technology industries. Publications that Sandhills produces include TractorHouse, Machinery Trader, Machinery Trader Auction Results, Truck Paper, RentalYard, and AuctionTime, as well as Controller, Executive Controller, and Charter Hub, are among its trade magazines. Sandhills Global’s website, as well as all of their hosted publications, went offline recently, and their phones stopped working after a successful ransomware attack purportedly by Conti. Investigation of the breach and restoration of the impacted sites is underway.
Individual Impact: No consumer PII or financial data loss was disclosed in this breach as of press time.
Customers Impacted: Unknown
How It Could Affect Your Business: Data is of immense value to cybercriminals in the booming dark web data markets, and by scooping it up at service providers like publishing companies they can ensure that they profit even if no ransom is paid.
IntegraMSP to the Rescue: Two in five ransomware victims in 2020 were SMBs. No business is safe from this menace. Help your clients mount a strong defense with the insight gained in Ransomware Exposed. GET THIS EBOOK>>
Marketron
Exploit: Ransomware
Marketron: Marketing Services Company
Risk to Business: 1.606=Severe
Marketron has been hit by the busy BlackMatter crew. The company provides cloud-based revenue and traffic management tools for broadcast and media organizations with an emphasis on revenue management and audience engagement. The company disclosed that it had been contacted by the Russian gang on Sunday with a ransom demand. The attack affected the Marketron Traffic, Visual Traffic Cloud, Exchange and Advertiser Portal services. RadioTraffic and RepPak services were not hit in the attack but were taken offline in the aftermath as a precaution and authorities including the FBI were informed. The BlackMatter organization is suspected to be the new guise of DarkSide.
Individual Impact: No consumer PII or financial data loss was disclosed in this breach as of press time.
Customers Impacted: 320,000
How It Could Affect Your Business Today’s tricky ransomware landscape holds more traps than many organizations are expecting and the damage can be widespread if an attack strikes home.
IntegraMSP to the Rescue: Building cyber resilience helps insulate organizations from trouble like this. Learn more about why cyber resilience is the ticket to a safer future for your clients. GET THIS EBOOK>>
1 – 1.5 = Extreme Risk
1.51 – 2.49 = Severe Risk
2.5 – 3 = Moderate Risk
Risk scores for The Week in Breach are calculated using a formula that considers a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.