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Twitch Warns of Data Breach, Resets Passwords

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Heads up, Twitch users. The Amazon-owned game streaming service on Monday warned users of a possible data breach.

"We are writing to let you know that there may have been unauthorized access to some Twitch user account information," the company wrote in a blog post.

In an email sent to affected users, Twitch said the hackers may have accessed usernames and associated email addresses, passwords, IP addresses, as well as limited credit card information (card type, truncated card number, and expiration date), plus first and last names, phone numbers, addresses, and birthdates.

"PLEASE NOTE: Twitch does not store or process full credit or debit card information, so your card number is safe," according to the email, which was obtained by VentureBeat. "While we store passwords in a cryptographically protected form, we believe it's possible that your password could have been captured in clear text by malicious code when you logged into our site on March 3rd."

As a safety measure, the company has reset all user passwords and stream keys and disconnected accounts from Twitter and YouTube. So the next time you attempt to log in to your Twitch account, you will be prompted to create a new password.

"We also recommend that you change your password at any website where you use the same or a similar password," Twitch said.

To make things a little easier on users, Twitch has also reduced the minimum number of characters required in user passwords following customer complaints, somewhat of a curious move after having just been breached.

"We've heard your concerns about overly-restrictive password requirements, and have reduced them to an 8 character minimum," Twitch wrote. The company encouraged users to get a "reputable password manager with a random password generator" or simply create strong passwords with multiple words, lots of characters, and uncommon substitutions, such as: "!70v3Gr33n@pple$auce?".

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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