Several users have reported unauthorised account access over the past few days, with some saying that their details have been used to make in-game purchases.
Many victims of the hack have linked the breach with Fortnite, saying that their PayPal was used to purchase VBucks in the popular battle royale game. Some have even reported that they lost $100 to the scam, and only realised that they had been hacked when a purchase confirmation landed in their inbox.
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Twitter user Pixelpar was one of the biggest accounts to highlight the issue, claiming that his account had been access ‘multiple times’ overnight.
I suspect Nintendo may have had a major security breach. My account was accessed numerous times overnight.
My password is a unique string and my PC is definitely clean (not that I ever login via it).
Lots of similar reports on Reddit/twitter.
Unlink PayPal & enable 2FA folks!
— Pixelpar (@pixelpar) April 19, 2020
It looks like the attack has hit a wide-range of fans, with people in France, America and the UK reporting issues. But it’s certainly not affecting all users at present.
Strangely the American arm of Nintendo put out a Twitter message a few weeks ago advising users to set up two-factor authentication, but this was before the bulk of hacking activity was reported. Some users have raised eyebrows at this, suggesting Nintendo already knew about the incoming attack, although this seems unlikely.
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So far, the company hasn’t acknowledged the issue, so we’ve reached out to Nintendo for comment. We’ll update this piece with the response.
If you want to check on the safety of your account, just sign in to your Nintendo profile and look at your previous log-in activity. But if you’re still worried, there are a few extra steps you can take to secure your details.
- First, change your password to something complex and random
- Secondly, un-link all payment methods, such as your paypal or saved credit card details
- Finally, set-up two-factor authentication. You can do this by heading to your account and editing the sign-in and security settings.
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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.
