Number of Compromised Nintendo Switch Accounts Almost Doubles
Nintendo updated the total number of Switch accounts that have been hacked. The gaming company now says that 300,000 Switch accounts were compromised. Nintendo disclosed a widespread breach this past April. At that time, about 160,000 Nintendo Switch accounts were illegally accessed. That number has now doubled.
Hackers gained access to users’ Nintendo login credentials for Nintendo’s online services and made purchases through the Nintendo online store.
Reports of compromised Nintendo accounts started in April of this year when users reported that fraudulent charges started appearing in their online Nintendo accounts. Users across North and South America and Asia were seeing illegal logins and unauthorized account charges on the My Nintendo Store eShop. Nintendo confirms that login IDs and passwords were compromised. Some account information, like birthday and email, may have been viewable by hackers as well. In some cases, there were fraudulent charges.
The first report by Nintendo said that about 160,000 Nintendo accounts had been hacked Following an investigation Nintendo, posted an update on their Nintendo UK support site. The tally of compromised accounts has been increased by 140,000 and now stands at 300,000 totals.
Nintendo clarified the reports and stated that less than one percent of the accounts had fraudulent charges
“While we continue to investigate, we would like to reassure users that there is currently no evidence pointing towards a breach of Nintendo’s databases, servers or services. As one action in our ongoing investigation, we are discontinuing the ability to use a Nintendo Network ID to sign into a Nintendo Account. All other options to sign-in to a Nintendo Account remain available.” Said Nintendo in a statement.
Nintendo is contacting all users who have been compromised. These users should reset passwords for their Nintendo network ID and any connected account – PayPal, eWallet, social media, etc.
The sample Nintendo notification reads, “You have received an email notification that states the following: “A new device has been used to sign into your Nintendo Account”. The email might include information about an unknown device or geographical location.”
Nintendo will refund money to anyone with fraudulent charges on their Nintendo account
What Should I Do to Secure My Nintendo Account?
The ability to use a Nintendo Network ID to sign-in to a Nintendo Account has been disabled for all users. Use a unique password for all online accounts. They can be stored in a password manager to help you keep track of them.
- Change your password to secure your account
- Enable two-factor authentication
- If your Nintendo Account is linked to a Nintendo Network ID (NNID) change your NNID password
- If your linked NNID has been compromised unlink it from your Nintendo Account
- If your Nintendo Account is linked to Facebook, Google, Apple, or Twitter change the password for those accounts too.
To protect your Nintendo account and your money, create a unique password for each online account. A good password manager like Password Keeper can keep track of all of them – it works on computers, laptops, and mobile devices.
What is Nintendo Switch?
The Nintendo Switch is Nintendo’s most recent console game platform. The Switch differentiates itself from more traditional game consoles because it’s a handheld portable console that can also be connected to a TV through with the use of a dock that allows it to play like a more traditional console.
The Nintendo Switch is based on the idea of playing with your friends in that it allows you to link multiple controllers – up to sixteen at a time – which is a far greater than any other console system. The Switch also comes in two variants. There is the traditional Nintendo Switch and the Switch Lite which cannot connect to a dock and the controllers do not come off. The Switch Lite is designed almost purely as a portable console.
The Switch had breakout success through Nintendo’s proprietary games including The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo’s console platforms such as the Switch or its handheld such as the DS usually outsell all other gaming consoles.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario, Mario Kart, and Super Smash Brothers are also hugely popular Switch games. Nintendo is bringing some games cross-platform games like Rocket League to it and also importing extremely popular titles, like Doom and Doom Eternal, from other consoles.
