The Week in Breach: How Fast Can Your Password be Hacked?
March 4, 2022Make sure to add us or contact us for the latest news Real-Time Service Alerts Are Your Passwords in the…
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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 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.
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.
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
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.
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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.
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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.