Owners of Nintendo user accounts are currently reporting more and more unauthorized, mostly multiple successful logins by unknown persons.
If hackers gain unauthorized access to accounts, they often use weak and shared passwords. But while this is often the reason for unwanted intruders, a data leak at Nintendo itself could also be the cause of the current attack wave.
There Is An Increasing Number Of Unauthorized Access To Nintendo Accounts
Nintendo has confirmed that they are aware of the reports, but has not commented on their accuracy and has not given any further details. The company advises activating two factor authentication and if access is successful, other measures such as changing passwords and deleting credit card and information from compromised accounts will be possible.
Two-form authentication requires users to use the Google Authenticator app to verify account login attempts. Detailed instructions on how to activate the feature can be found on Nintendo’s support page.
Users Were Informed Via Email From Nintendo
The persons affected became aware of the unauthorized access primarily through the fact that they were automatically informed by email from Nintendo. Among other things, one of those affected reported that there were several notes on registering with a device from Russia that was unknown to him. He then replaced his password with a stronger one, but that probably didn’t change anything. The user also received further notifications about access from Russia and the United States from Nintendo afterwards.
In addition, there are unconfirmed reports from users that the attackers also caused financial damage. Several players specifically mentioned purchases from Twitter in this context. In some cases, this is said to have occurred over two weeks ago, which should there actually be a connection. It would indicate a problem that has existed for a long time. In the meantime, the company recommends setting up two factor authentication.
