For about a month now, more and more Nintendo Switch users have been reporting that their accounts have been hacked from remote locations around the world, with many losing money as a result of the unauthorized intrusion. The account breaches appear to have started in mid-March, peaking over the weekend when many users began receiving email notifications that unknown IP had viewed profiles . The method by which the accounts were compromised is currently unknown. It is unclear whether the hackers are using passwords that have been leaked on various websites to gain access to Nintendo accounts.
Some users reported using complex passwords created through a password manager. These passwords were unique and not used anywhere else. This suggests that hackers may be doing more than just cracking typical credentials and passwords or performing brute force attacks.
Nintendo has yet to make an official statement regarding the attacks, but the company advised users via Twitter and Reddit to enable two-step verification (2SV) on their accounts, as this is likely to help limit and prevent intrusions.
Many of the users who reported unauthorized access to their Nintendo accounts noted that they lost money. Specifically, many of the users whose accounts were compromised and had a Paypal account linked reported that their money was used to purchase VBucks in Fortnite.
Although there is no exact figure for the number of accounts that have been compromised, this appears to be happening on an ever-increasing scale, given the number of user complaints noted on social media.
Prominent figures from the gaming have also been targeted by hackers, including the founder of LootPots, a site that shares news and posts about the Nintendo Switch.
ZDNet has discovered ads posted online this month in which hackers are selling Fortnite V-Bucks obtained from Nintendo Switch accounts. These ads appear to be linked to the recent hacking campaign targeting Nintendo accounts.
How to secure your Nintendo Switch accounts
Users who fear that they have fallen victim to this hacking campaign or who want to avoid a potential breach of their accounts can follow these steps:
- Check your login history. You can check your recent logins by going to https://accounts.nintendo.com/login_history.
- Change your password. You can do this via the link above. If you use the same password on other sites, you should change those passwords as well.
- Log out of all devices. From the link mentioned above, you can log out of all devices. However, this must be done after you change your password. If someone has access to your account credentials, logging out will not have much effect, as they will still be able to log in until you change them.
- Review your transactions. Check for “sneaky” purchases or other activity that you may not have made yourself.
