Nintendo confirms that thousands of accounts were compromised in recent hack
Posting on the official Twitter account, Nintendo has confirmed that a large number of Switch users were compromised in a recent hack.
Earlier this week, a number of reports began emerging of accounts being accessed, with unauthorised purchases being made on the Nintendo eShop as a result.
While some claimed these to be false, it turns out consumers were right to be fearful, as Nintendo has now confirmed that several thousand accounts were accessed.
The reasoning for this isn’t completely clear, but it seems the perpetrators gained access to valuable information such as birthdays, names and countries. When combined, these could be enough to access an account and make wrongful purchases.
Related: Upcoming Switch Games
In response to recent incidents related to some Nintendo Accounts, it is no longer possible to sign into a Nintendo Account using a Nintendo Network ID. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please visit our Support website for more information: https://t.co/NWyXLiS1wR
— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) April 24, 2020
Nintendo has said that credit card information remains secure, and has reset passwords for all accounts which were affected. If you’re an unlucky one, you should receive further information through email.
Users who use Nintendo Network ID to login were affected, a method which has now been disabled. To be safe, we’d reset your password and ensure two-factor authentication is enabled on your devices to avoid something like this happening.
If an unauthorised purchase has been made on your account across any of Nintendo’s channels, simply contact its support system and it will immediately cancel it and take appropriate action.
It’s great to see Nintendo being so proactive in protecting its users, although hopefully nothing like this will happen again. Nintendo has seldom been at the forefront when it comes to online networks and interaction, so it’s not too surprising that such a hack has taken place.
Given the launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in recent weeks, we imagine thousands of consumers have purchased a Switch console for the first time, making it awfully tempting for hackers to try their luck when it comes to illegally accessing accounts.
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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.
