Nintendo user accounts are in danger
Nintendo, a Japnese based company claims that at least 1.6 lakh Nintendo user accounts hacked. The hackers have taken the user IDs and the passwords of the accounts. And the company said that they have been informing those whose account is being compromised.
As many are using their Nintendos a lot during this Pandemic, hackers have started focusing on it to exploit the information they gather. The BBC has reported that the hackers are trying to hack into the PayPal account linked with the user account to buy in-app purchases and even some games.
Nintendo which “sincerely apologized” for the incident said it is disabling the ability to log into a Nintendo Account through a Nintendo Network ID (NNID) which became the gateway for hackers.
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
How to protect your account?
The company has said that those user accounts that have been exploited, their passwords will be reset and the users will be notified via email.
So, it is better to reset your password before your account gets into their hands. Also, don’t use the same password for all your accounts try to use a different password for each one of them.
To check if an account has been compromised, Nintendo Switch users can see a recent sign-in history under the “Sign in and Security Settings” tab. If an unknown location appears on the list, it is possible the Nintendo account has been hacked. Users should then follow Nintendo’s Account Recovery Process.
Nintendo is also recommending that all Nintendo account users set up 2-step verification to prevent unauthorized purchases. Here’s how:
- Sign in to your Nintendo Account at https://accounts.nintendo.com.
- Go to “Sign-in and security settings” and scroll down and click on “two-step-verification.”
- Click “Enable two-step verification.”
- Select the “Submit” button once you are done. This will send you an email with a verification code. Return to the page and enter the code you received, and then click “submit” again.
- Install the free Google Authenticator app on your smartphone.
- Scan the QR code on your Nintendo account into the Google Authenticator app.
- This will prompt a verification code to appear on your smartphone. Enter that code into the Nintendo account screen and hit “submit.”
- Backup codes will then appear. Copy these down onto a piece of paper or into a separate safe location on your smartphone or computer so you can use them if you are unable to sign-in through Google Authenticator.
- Verify you have written down the backup codes by hitting “backup codes saved” and then click “OK.”
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