nintendo game

Hackers Target Nintendo, Affecting Accounts of 160,000 Users

After customers reported fraudulent purchases, Nintendo announced that a credential stuffing campaign led to breaches of thousands of accounts.

The accounts of about 160,000 Nintendo users have been affected by hacking attempts, causing the gaming company to disable the ability to log into an account with a Nintendo Network ID.

Nicknames, dates of birth, countries and email addresses were accessed through a breach since the beginning of April, according to The Verge. Some customers reported fraudulent purchases using their account information, which Nintendo says was “obtained illegally by some means other than our service.”

The older Nintendo Networks IDs (NNIDs) were used for 3DC and Wii U devices, whereas newer Nintendo products use a modernized account system. Until Friday, those new accounts could be linked to NNIDs, which increased the landscape for attacks, according to The Verge.

All affected users are being notified via email, and the company is encouraging all users to implement two-factor authentication so that there is less of a chance that a hacker is able to log in to their account using just an email address.

Users are also being warned that if they have used the same password for their NNID and Nintendo account, their ”balance and registered credit card / PayPal may be illegally used at My Nintendo Store or Nintendo eShop.” Nintendo gamers who suspect that their account has been used to make fraudulent purchases should report them to the company so they can be investigated and canceled.

The incident demonstrates how the $100 billion video game industry is a “growing target for cybercriminals,” said Anurag Kahol, the chief technology officer of data protection company Bitglass.

“Personally identifiable information (PII) and financial information are often connected to users’ gaming accounts, which is valuable data that attackers can use to commit financial fraud, identity theft, and trade on dark web marketplaces,” Kahol said. “Popularly, attackers will compromise and steal valid, high ranking gaming accounts and sell them for a generous profit.”

Although it’s not clear how hackers were able to obtain Nintendo account information for the credential stuffing attacks, “this incident still underscores why organizations must have full visibility and control over their data to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive customer information,” Kahol added.

The gaming industry is a huge target of credential stuffing campaigns, said Chris DeRamus, the chief technology officer of DivvyCloud.

“Organizations should also implement [multi-factor authentication] for all users, securely manage service accounts and their corresponding keys, enforce least privileged access, and enforce best practices for the use of audit logs and cloud logging roles,” DeRamus said.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

New Products

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”