On January 5, 2025, a wave of panic spread through the streaming community as several streamers reported that their Twitch accounts had been compromised. VTuber Kiona (@kionafu on X) took to social media to share her distress, revealing that someone had hacked into her Twitch account and changed the payout method, despite having 2FA enabled. She expressed her disbelief at the situation and tagged Twitch in her post, seeking answers and assistance.
Another virtual streamer, Sasuga Reina, also came forward with a similar story. They received an email notifying them that their account payment details had been altered, even though they had not made any changes themselves. Suspecting that a Twitch Prime subscription raid by a bot might have triggered the incident, Sasuga Reina reached out to Twitch Support for help. However, they expressed frustration at the lack of immediate action taken by the support agent, who seemed more interested in ending the chat than addressing the compromised account.
Livestreaming industry personality Zack Bussey reported the situation on the same day, prompting Twitch to acknowledge the issue and assure users that they were investigating the matter. Twitch recommended that affected users contact Support for assistance and resolution.
In a surprising turn of events, Zack Bussey also shared that Twitch had updated its Cookie Notices for the first time since 2019 on the same day. The updated Cookie Notices now provide detailed descriptions of various cookies, including time-based cookies (session + persistent), party-based cookies (first + third party), and purpose-based cookies (operations, analytics, advertising). Readers can view Twitch’s revised Cookie Notice by following the provided link.
As the streaming community grapples with the aftermath of these security breaches, it is crucial for all users to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to protect their accounts. Twitch’s prompt response to the situation and updates to its Cookie Notices indicate a commitment to enhancing user security and privacy on the platform. The streaming landscape continues to evolve, and streamers must stay informed and proactive to safeguard their online presence.
