Nintendo has addressed the recent security breach and confirmed that around 160,000 accounts have been compromised.
The company said in an official statement
“login IDs and passwords have been obtained illegally by sources outside our service, to impersonate users to access Nintendo Network ID since the beginning of April.”
Firthermore, starting today, users will be unable to log in to their Nintendo Accounts with a Nintendo Network ID. Nintendo also stated that “all passwords will be reset for Nintendo Network IDs and all other Nintendo Accounts that may have been illegally accessed.” Nintendo will also be responding to unauthorized purchases.
This message is regarding the reports of unauthorized Nintendo Account access, we would like to inform you on how to secure your Nintendo Account and reset your password and information. We thank you for your continued support of our products.
Recently it has come to our attention that login IDs and passwords have been obtained illegally by sources outside our service, to impersonate users to access Nintendo Network ID since the beginning of April. We can confirm these actions have occurred. We can also confirm that there was illegal access to such accounts through the Nintendo Network ID system.
Due to this, as of today, users cannot log into their Nintendo Account via Nintendo Network ID. Furthermore, all passwords will be reset for Nintendo Network IDs and all other Nintendo Accounts that may have been illegally accessed.
Users will be notified by email to reset your Nintendo Network ID and Nintendo Account. Please avoid reusing the password that you have already used on other websites and services. If you have already logged into your Nintendo Account via your Nintendo Network ID, please log in using your registered Nintendo Account email or login ID.
If you use the same password for your Nintendo Network ID and Nintendo Account, your account balance, registered credit card and/or PayPal may have been illegally used on My Nintendo Store or Nintendo eShop. Please set different passwords for your Nintendo Network ID and Nintendo Account. Furthermore, if your purchase history contains unauthorized purchases, please request to cancel that purchase. We will respond to such requests. Please understand that we will proceed in the order of cancellation requests we receive.
Lastly, if you haven’t already, please set up two-step verification for your Nintendo Account for safety and security.