What To Do If Your Twitch Account Got Hacked In 2024

by SwitchVPN Team

Twitch is a great live streaming platform where users can watch gamers or broadcast their content to fans around the world.

Your Twitch profile often contains private payment information, which gives thieves a good reason to hack into your account.

So, how can you tell if anyone has been snooping in your account?

Did your account breach start with Twitch, or was the source elsewhere?

What do you do if you become the target of a Twitch hack?

What steps can you take to protect your password, username, and content from being exposed in the future?

Ways Cybercriminals Can Steal Your Passwords

Here are the most common methods that attackers use to access your data:

Phishing Attacks

Hackers can send you emails appearing to be from a company with a reputable name, like Amazon, or other recognizable companies.

When you click on the link in the email, you are prompted to type in your username, account password, phone number, or other identifying information, all of which is wind up in the hands of the hacker.

Cryptanalytic (Brute Force) Attack

In this type of attack, hackers try a combination of words, names, and numbers to guess the correct password that will give them entry into blocked accounts.

Insecure Internet Connection

If you are connecting to the internet on public WiFi, or connecting to a wireless hotspot, you may also be falling into a trap.

Hackers can access the network and see you entering part or all of your account details and passwords.

Security Breaches

For convenience's sake, many people use the same password on multiple accounts.

When this is the case, a security breach in one of your accounts will then compromise your accounts elsewhere.

What To Do If Your Twitch Account Stolen Or Hacked

If you suspect that your password on Twitch has been compromised, you need to take action.

If you are still able to access your Twitch account, start by changing your password by going to Settings > Security and Privacy > Change Password.

If you are able to do this, this should keep the hacker from being able to access your account.

Unfortunately, the hacker may have already changed your account password so that you are unable to log in.

If this happens, find the Trouble Logging In? link on the login page and follow the prompts to reset your password via your email.

When you are signed in to your Twitch account, remove third-party apps that may be linked to your account by looking in Connection Settings.

Only add back ones that you know are trustworthy, since a third-party app may have been the source for the breach.

Remember - the more accounts you have with similar passwords, the more difficult it is to find the source of the breach.

If you are unsure if your account has been hacked, here are some hints that you may have had a data breach:

  • You may get an email or report that warns that your username, email address, or password have been updated, and you know that you were not the one to change them.
  • You try to log in to your email account, game, or Twitch accounts and find that your login name, password, and credentials do not work and that you are locked out of your account.
  • You notice signs of an account hack on a different account where you used the same password as Twitch.
  • You find strange transactions on your bank statement which may be connected to the Twitch donation system.

These are some of the common signs of a data breach.

If you experience any of these signs, or experience something suspicious, do your part and take action!

Remember - it is hard to pinpoint the source of the breach if your passwords are the same across platforms.

Was Your Twitch Account Compromised? Here’s How to Prevent Hacks

If you have had your Twitch account hacked once, here is how to prepare yourself so that you can avoid future hacks:

  • Don't use uniform login passwords. Because people worry about forgetting their passwords, many opt to use the same passwords for multiple websites and accounts. To prevent hacks, create different login credentials on each. This way, if one account is breached, the others will remain safe.
  • Beef up your password. Do not create login credentials that are simple, intuitive, and easy to guess. It is best to use a combination of letters, symbols, and numbers, and never to use your name, common words, or numerical patterns. Twich12345 is not a good password for your Twitch account.
  • Opt for Two-Factor Authentication. If you are given the choice to use Two-Factor Authentication on any account, take it. This makes it a step harder for hackers to access your account.
  • Encrypt your connection with a VPN. Use a VPN to ensure that your data and online traffic are encrypted. This is not up for discussion if you are accessing any website or platform on a public wifi network or any unsecured network. Whether you are playing a game, accessing a streaming site, or entering your password for your email, a VPN can ensure that a hacker will not be able to discern what you are typing.

Conclusion

There is nothing more annoying than logging on to your streaming websites, games, or accounts only to find that one of your accounts has been hacked.

The easiest way to ensure that all of you are browsing the web safely and securely is to use a VPN every time you are accessing a login page from an unsecured wifi network.

It is a good idea to go to the Twitch Cookie Policy source to read up on how their policies on cookies and how to control cookies on their site.

Thanks for reading this blog!