Data breaches are a problem for any online company — password managers, banks, and even cybersecurity companies. An industry that doesn’t get a lot of hacking attention is game developers, but these are susceptible too. Take Capcom, which just suffered an attack that left 11.7 million user accounts exposed, and you could be one of them.
Capcom is a seasoned developer that came onto the scene during the arcade golden era in the late ’70s, early ’80s. It brought several huge titles to the world, like “Monster Hunter,” “Resident Evil,” “Street Fighter,” and my personal favorite, “Mega Man.”
The Capcom breach is just one of many cybersecurity threats that have hit the web in the last several weeks.
Many of Capcom’s modern games don’t require a special account, known as a Capcom ID, to play offline. However, if you use online multiplayer or spend money on microtransactions within your favorite Capcom titles, a Capcom ID is unavoidable.
A Capcom ID includes all kinds of personal information that you wouldn’t necessarily know it tracks. For instance, it collects your email address when you sign up, as well as the date you created your account. It knows the exact time you last logged in, as well as how many times you’ve logged in over the years. It even marks down the IP address where you last connected to the service — this could be your home, your office, a friend’s place, wherever.
All of this information was exposed.
According to Capcom, the Capcom ID system was breached in mid-October, exposing 11.7 million user accounts to hackers. A small subset of users — only an estimated 193-196 accounts — also had their passwords changed.
Capcom didn’t divulge the cause of the breach and whether it was fueled by some form of virus, brute-force entry, an unknown exploit, or other intrusive measures. The company, however, did say that it is notifying all affected users and that it is taking measures to prevent the further infiltration of its system.
RELATED: How to protect yourself and your data during the PHP web meltdown
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That leaves users behind wondering what’s next. The biggest component in the breach was the mass leak of email addresses. Skilled hackers will likely use these to execute mass phishing campaigns, hoping to trick you into clicking on malicious links in deceptive emails. For these, you should really turn on this browser feature that will give you some extra security when opening emails and surfing the web. It’s designed to identify malicious content on the web in real time, so that can help.
So far, there is no reason to believe that credit card information or passwords were included in the breach. However, if you’re especially concerned, you can always set up purchase alerts so that you know when your credit card is used and how much money was spent with every transaction. You really should do this anyway, after the PHP meltdown last week. You should also consider changing your password to something more complex that you can keep in a trusted password manager.
Unfortunately, the Capcom breach is just one of many cybersecurity threats that have hit the web in the last several weeks. The most significant one, of course, was Black October, where two PHP vulnerabilities threatened to take down the lion’s share of the internet. A week later, some websites, along with your data, could still be at risk. Make sure you follow our guide to secure your accounts, data, and private information.
As AI makes the online landscape more volatile, it’s important to practice good digital hygiene. Make sure you use unique, complex passwords on your most vital accounts, especially your bank account and email addresses. Store your passwords in a trusted password manager. Also, be leery of any suspicious-looking emails or messages you receive. As long as you’re prepared, you don’t have anything to worry about. Just make sure you stay vigilant when you go online.
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Gaming, Gamers, Cybersecurity, Cyberattack, Tech
