Twitch Accounts Compromised by Recent Hack

Twitch logoGaming-focused video streaming service Twitch sent a mass e-mail to users earlier today stating that some accounts may have been compromised in a recent hack. From the e-mail:

We are writing to let you know that there may have been unauthorized access to some of your Twitch user account information, including possibly your Twitch username and associated email address, your password (which was cryptographically protected), the last IP address you logged in from, and any of the following if you provided it to us: first and last name, phone number, address, and date of birth.

The message goes on to say that Twitch has “expired” users’ passwords and stream keys and that users will be prompted to create new passwords (and possibly re-authenticate their accounts thru Facebook) upon their next login to the site. Twitch also terminated connections between user accounts and external sites like Twitter and YouTube. Users will have to reestablish those connections if they want to continue to use them.

In the wake of this security breach, Twitch may have changed its password requirements, forcing users to make more complex passwords. Responding to complaints from users, the company lessened the requirements but still advised users on best practices for creating secure passwords.

Justin.TV Announces Closure Of Video Archives

JustinTV LogoVideo streaming service Justin.TV has announced it will be closing its video archive system permanently on June 15th. This means that producers who use Justin.TV will no longer be able to host saved versions of their videos on the site. Also, any videos that are currently in Justin.TV’s archives will be deleted. The company explained thru its blog:

“…our staff has been reviewing data surrounding our archive and VOD (Video on Demand) system. We found that more than half of our VODs are unwatched (with 0 or 1 total views), while the vast majority are rarely watched (with 10 or less views). This data was essential in better understanding how our service is being used. Even when adding the direct upload to YouTube functionality, we found this feature was seldom used.”

The statement went on to say that Justin.TV will be focusing its efforts on live streaming, as that seems to be what most producers and viewers are using the service for.  Justin.TV has put together a help article that provides alternative solutions for live producers who’d still like to archive their video streams. Users who currently have archived videos on the system can also download them.

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Gaming Podcasters Go Epic To Support Children’s Charity

Epic Podcast LogoEpic Podcast, a show that describes itself as “A Podcast For the WoW (World of Warcraft) Community” will be hosting its 2nd Annual Child’s Play Marathon on Saturday, May 17th, 2014. The marathon will begin at 11AM EST and continue for 24 hours. Epic Podcast will live stream gameplay of different games made by Blizzard Entertainment. The purpose of the marathon is to raise money for Child’s Play, a charity that provides games and toys to hospitals worldwide.

This is Epic Podcast’s second charity streaming event. In 2013, the Epic Podcast crew had hoped to raise $1,000.00 during their first charity marathon and they exceeded that goal. This year, they’ve moved the goal up to $2,500.00. Epic Podcast explains its plans for this year’s marathon broadcast as:

“We will be playing Diablo 3, Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, Starcraft II Arcade and have a couple of flex runs for both Alliance and Horde. Viewers are encouraged to join in on the fun during the marathon and there will be random giveaways including pets, mounts, Ask Mr Robot premium accounts, and more!”

“If you would like to sign up for the Alliance or Horde flex run, please go to the blog section of our website for links to the OpenRaid signups. Deadline for Flex Signups will be May 10th.”

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