Nintendo Switch User Information Breach Affected Over 300,000 Users - Olmec Skip to main content

Nintendo Switch User Information Breach Affected Over 300,000 Users

By June 19, 2020May 5th, 2022Cybersecurity

A couple of months ago, Nintendo announced that their Switch gaming and live streaming service had been hacked, and as a result, some 160,000 user accounts had been compromised. As the company has continued their investigation into the incident, however, they’ve updated their disclosure, revealing that an additional 140,000 accounts were compromised, bringing the total to just over 300,000.

The information gained as a result of the hack includes screen names, dates of birth, the email addresses associated with each account, location, and gender data. If there’s a silver lining to be found in the incident, it is the fact that credit card information does not appear to have been accessed.

Also note that based on information provided by Nintendo, it appears that the hackers used brute force and other methods to access accounts, as opposed to taking advantage of some type of security flaw. The company also reports that although the total number of compromised accounts has increased markedly, it still represents less than 1 percent of the total accounts on the platform.

If anything, these types of attacks are only increasing in their frequency, so the usual recommendations still apply. Change your passwords on a regular basis. Use a different password on each of the websites you frequent. If you are in the habit of using the same password on multiple web properties, it’s long past time to break that habit. If a hacker gets into one account, you’ve just handed him the keys to large swaths of your digital kingdom.

Also, anytime it’s offered, enable and use two-factor authentication, which provides an added layer of security. If you want to be extra cautious, it wouldn’t hurt to make use of a VPN on top of that. Even if you don’t have the funds to use a paid service, there are a number of decent quality free ones available. Stay safe out there.

Jason Manteiga

Jason J. Manteiga, Vice President of Olmec Systems, has been part of the company for over the past 20 years. He believes that having a great work environment and supportive team, is the ultimate key to success. Since being in the IT realm for over 25 years, Jason, along with Olmec Systems, has been on the Inc. 5000 “List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” and Channel Futures MSP 501 “Top Managed Service Providers in North America,” along with other awards and nominations. Jason earned his Bachelor Degree in Information Systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also holds certifications in Microsoft MCSE, VMWare VCP, and Cisco CCNA. In his spare time, Jason is a contributor for The Center for Social & Legal Research (Privacy Exchange) and a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. His hobbies include cycling and kayaking. He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters and son.