160,000 Nintendo Accounts Potentially Hacked in Major Security Breach

Nintendo has today confirmed that the privacy of 160,000 Nintendo Accounts may have been breached in a major security leak, which has been on-going throughout April.

Hackers illegally acquired login details for the Nintendo Network ID system (NNID), a feature of the company’s online infrastructure since the Wii U and 3DS days. It would have allowed them to see the private information of those users, including their names, alias, gender, date of birth, etc.

While credit card information remained secure, hackers were still able to make purchases via the eShop. According to Eurogamer, Fortnite V-Bucks were the most commonly purchased item.

Nintendo has since disabled its NNID log-in system and plans to reset all passwords before reopening the service. As you’ll see in the below Tweet from Nintendo’s UK branch, head over to the company’s support page for more information on setting up a two-step verification process if you’re concerned about security.

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/GMrXr5OHW0

— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) April 24, 2020