Gaming video platform and community Twitch has reported unauthorised access to some user’s account information.
In a notice, it said that it has expired passwords and stream keys, and have disconnected accounts from Twitter and YouTube.
“As a result, you will be prompted to create a new password the next time you attempt to log into your Twitch account,” it said. “We also recommend that you change your password at any website where you use the same or a similar password. We will communicate directly with affected users with additional details.”
Twitch said that its password requirements revolve around algorithmic complexity, and it has reduced the password requirement to a minimum of eight characters.
Mark James, security specialist at ESET, said: “Gaming sites have always been a lucrative target. Not only do they represent gamers that may use the same login and passwords as similar sites, but they also enable the possibility of other electronic goods to be stolen and sold elsewhere, in game items, in game gold.
“There’s no perfect advice for when your details are stolen but changing your password is certainly one of the best. The very best is to strengthen the importance of having unique passwords for each and every login you have – that way if your password is found it’s useless on another site.”
He said the fact that Twitch have expired passwords and unlinked accounts to other platforms is a great step in protecting your private information, but just because you have what seems like an easily guessed pattern does not mean that a computer can guess it – brute forced password attacks match passwords they do not guess them.
David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, said: “The recent hack on Amazon’s game streaming site, Twitch, is another example of the importance of online security for both organisations and consumers.
“Fortunately, in this instance passwords were encrypted, minimising the risk of passwords being used by the hackers. However, the fact that names, addresses and other personal details were not will be cause for concern for many customers.”
