[Update: Nintendo has provided a statement to VGC regarding the surge in unauthorized logins, and has acknowledged the situation directly, stating: "We are aware of reports of unauthorized access to some Nintendo Accounts and we are investigating the situation. In the meantime, we recommend that users enable two-step verification for their Nintendo Account as instructed here. If any users become aware of unauthorized activity, we encourage them to take the steps outlined [here] or visit [here] for general support.]
[Update #2: Nintendo confirmed on their official site this week that "160,000" additional accounts have been compromised to date. This is on top of the 140,000 figure previously provided. Please follow the below instructions to ensure your account is secure. Nintendo reports that "less than 1%" of accounts have been impacted, and that account password resets and refunds are already underway.]
It's a crazy time right now, and it can be really tough to find a Switch if you don't have one already. As it turns out, it can also be tough to keep your current Switch secure.
As of this past week, several folks have been reporting unauthorized access to their Switch accounts. Eurogamer reports that one of their staff members have been impacted, and I can confirm that a Destructoid staff member has received an unauthorized login as well.
As usual, it's recommended that you do not attach a saved payment method to your account (some users reported that they had money stolen during the aforementioned logins, with lots of activity centering around Fortnite), and enable 2-factor authentication. If you're not familiar with the concept, 2-factor authentication is essentially a second way to ensure secure logins, typically via SMS text (Nintendo uses Google Authenticator presently). I also recommend that you log into your Switch account online and select the option to log off every device as soon as possible just in case.
Without confirming a potential data breach or specifically mentioning the increase in account hacks, Nintendo nonchalantly reminded Switch users to enable 2-step verification earlier this month. You can find those instructions here and below. Do it! Even folks with unique and complex passwords are reporting unauthorized logins.
