As retailers continue to migrate sales to online platforms, the potential for data compromise increases. While consumers are familiar with data breaches from brick-and-mortar retailers like Target and Sears, video game publishers have seemingly protected their players’ information. But on Friday, an unsuspected industry leader had a grave announcement: a hacker compromised data from 160,000 Nintendo account login users.

Data Breach

The illegal compromise of personal information is always unsettling, especially when it comes from a seemingly reliable company. While Nintendo player have a strong affinity for the company’s games and hardware, a hacker was able to use Nintendo Network IDs (NNID) to steal customer data.

According to Nintendo of Japan, a hacker used NNIDs to steal the following information from approximately 160,000 users:

• Nicknames
• Date of Birth
• Country/Region
• Email Addresses

Lockdown

Nintendo’s response to the data breach is to no longer allow users to log into their Nintendo accounts with NNIDs. In addition, the company is requesting that users reset their passwords and enable two-step authentication. While the data breach appears segregated to Europe, we strongly urge all Nintendo players to use two-step authentication. The steps to enable this feature are listed below:

1. Go to https://accounts.nintendo.com and sign in to your Nintendo Account.
2. Select “Sign-in and security settings”, then scroll down to “Two-Step Verification” and click “Edit”.
3. Click “Enable two-step verification”.
4. Click “Submit” to have a verification code sent to the email address shown.
   • If the email address is incorrect, click “Change” next to the “Email Address” menu setting under “User Information” to change it.
5. Enter the verification code from the e-mail, then select “Submit”.
6. Install the Google Authenticator or any other authentication app on your smart device.
   • Google Authenticator is a free app, available through Google Play (Android) and the App Store (iOS).
7. Use the smart device app to scan the QR code displayed on your Nintendo Account screen.
8. A 6-digit verification code will appear on your smart device. Enter the verification code into the field under step 3 on the Nintendo Account screen, then select “Submit”.
9. A list of backup codes will appear. Click “Copy” to copy all the codes, then paste them somewhere safe.
   • A backup code will be required for sign-in if you don’t have access to the Google Authenticator app. Make sure to keep these somewhere safe.
   • You can use these (one time each) if you do not have access to the Google Authenticator app. (Please note that the backup process may differ depending on the authentication app you use.)
10. Click “Backup codes saved”, then “OK”.

Conclusion

Many retailers have compromised consumer data over the years; however, Nintendo is protective of its data. While vigorously protective of its intellectual property, the recent Nintendo account login hack proves that the company has not extended that protection to its customers. Although the hack appears segmented to Nintendo of Europe, players should change their passwords and update their accounts to two-step authentication.

But we want to know what you think. Was your information compromised in the latest Nintendo account login hack? Let us know in the comments below or the social media links on the right. Also, be sure to check out our other news items on Pokemon, Modern Warfare, Capcom, Blizzard and more.

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