Hackers have reportedly managed to steal private information relating to 2.5 million PlayStation and Xbox gamers.
The major data breach at two popular gaming forums happened in 2015 but has only just been revealed, and involved personal details such as email addresses, passwords, and IP addresses being stolen.
The unofficial forums Xbox360 ISO and PSP ISO allow users to share and download free and pirated games.
Related: MWC 2017
Troy Hunt, owner of the website ‘Have I Been Pwned‘, told the Daily Mail: “Data breaches are often sold via dark websites or within closed trading circles.
“The prevalence of password reuse means that a relatively benign site can hold credentials that unlock far more valuable resources, for example, email or social media accounts.”
At this point, it remains unclear who carried out the hack or if the forums were aware of the breaches at the time.
Mark James, IT Security Specialist at ESET, said: “Hacks like these are quite common where data has been stolen and the victims are only finding out months or even years later.
“Scams and phishing attacks will try and use the valuable data to entice even more information from the unsuspecting user; that info is tested, stored and often will be used for identity theft purposes.
“Quite often people using seemingly low security websites don’t enforce good password security because it’s not a financial target, but all data has a value and will be reused for other purposes.
“Every website should be treated as unique and require different passwords with a mix of usernames if possible.”
If you’re concerned that your data may have been stolen you can use the Have I Been Pwned link above to check by typing in your email address.
WATCH: PS4 Pro review
Let us know if you think you’ve been affected in the comments.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
