Twitch users urged to change passwords, protect account information after data leak

The data breach affecting gaming platform Twitch has put tens of millions of user passwords, payment methods and personal information at risk. CTVNews.ca speaks to experts about what parents and users need to know to protect their personal data.

Early Wednesday, an anonymous hacker claimed to have leaked 125GB of data from the gaming service online, exposing a significant amount of the company’s internal data and revealing information about Twitch's highest paid video game streamers.

But experts say while the leak could be incredibly damaging to Twitch’s reputation, users should be vigilant in protecting any personal information that could be stolen and used nefariously by cyber criminals.

“There is a possibility people could access that data and use that to try and perpetrate scams against users,” Brett Callow, threat analyst at anti-virus software firm Emsisoft, told CTVNews.ca by phone Wednesday.

“They should be on the lookout for the text messages, phone calls or emails that purported to be from Twitch or Twitch related.”