Posted on April 25, 2020 at 10:59 AM

Nintendo says 160,000 Accounts may have been Compromised

Nintendo has announced that it will disable the ability to log into the Nintendo account using Nintendo Network ID (NNID). This is coming after hackers reportedly compromised about 160,000 Nintendo accounts recently.

According to the gaming company, passwords and login IDs derived through other means other than legitimately from its portal have been utilized to access thousands of accounts since this month.

Nintendo has confirmed the breach and apologized to the affected users. The company also reiterated its desire to strengthen its system’s security and ensure more safety in the future.

“In the future, we will make further efforts to strengthen security and ensure safety so that similar events do not occur,” Nintendo said.

With the increased hacking cases going on, especially in online gaming, users have been advised to be very cautious when using their login details on any platform.

Users advised using two-factor authentication

Details compromised from the recent hack include email addresses, date of birth, Nickname, and country of the user. In its recommendation, Nintendo has asked users to start using two-factor authentication for all their online accounts to prevent any further successful hacking attempts.

For those compromised accounts, passwords are now being reset, and Nintendo is now preventing access to its accounts through the NNID login platform. The older NNIDs were utilized for Wii U and 3DS devices.

Nintendo says it’s notifying users whose accounts have been compromised. It also warned users who are using the same password for Nintendo account and NNID they stand a risk of fraud from their registered Paypal or credit card.

A few days ago, Koddos reported that hackers have compromised some accounts and the hackers have been using the compromised credentials to purchase digital items such as Fortnite VBucks. Nintendo has advised the victims to complain to the company to enable them to cancel the purchases and investigate the purchase history.

The gaming firm is also asking the users to get a password manager to help them manage their passwords if they’ve not done so already.

Users say hackers are using their registered credit cards

Before Nintendo’s statement, some players have already started complaining that their accounts were being compromised by hackers. According to the users, the hackers are using their registered payment cards to shop for Fortnite currency and other digital assets.

Nintendo has quelled the fears of users by stating that the situation only affects who own a 3DS or Wii U. However, the company has advised that everyone should set up a two-factor authentication whether they have the 3Ds or not.

It reiterated that users should take precautions when using their details online because most hackers can only attack and infiltrate a system when there is a loophole they can exploit.

Nintendo facing second security issue within a week

This is not the first time Nintendo has suffered a security breach this week. That’s the reason why there is more scrutiny on the platform. Earlier this week, reports revealed that a reseller was using bots to purchase Nintendo switches before humans even buy them.

The open-source tool called Bird Bot was generally used by buyers resellers looking to profit more in the future by buying in bulk and selling later. The tool was also utilized by buyers who want to have an edge over other buyers.

Nintendo now receives more attention

Like Zoom, Nintendo has come under scrutiny recently, with several users showing concerns about the safety of their login details.

The company’s most recent game, Animal Crossing, was released last month when many countries in the world were still at the initial stage of their lockdown. The game has received a lot of reception with more people playing the game because of the lockdown. As a result, Nintendo is now receiving more attention from the gaming population both in its gaming performance the security issues.

The company is now in the media more often because of the increased number of users. According to chief strategy officer at Terbium Labs, Tyler Carbone, it’s necessary to react properly to any security vulnerability, and even more important when publicity and users are now at record highs.

The security firm stated that some gaming companies who can manage their security features effectively will gain immensely during this period when there are more online users than ever before.