Capcom Says Breach of Its ID System Exposed 11.7 Million Accounts

Video game maker Capcom says a breach of its Capcom ID system exposed about 11.7 million user accounts, Zach Laidlaw reports for Blaze News. The company behind "Resident Evil," "Street Fighter" and "Mega Man" has not said how the intrusion happened.

Key points

• Scope: According to Capcom, the account system was breached in mid-October, exposing roughly 11.7 million accounts.
• Data involved: Capcom ID records hold email addresses, account creation dates, last login times, login counts and the IP address of the most recent connection. Blaze News says all of it was exposed.
• Passwords: An estimated 193 to 196 accounts also had their passwords changed. The outlet reports no sign so far that credit card details or passwords were part of the leak.
• Who needs an ID: Many current Capcom games can be played offline without one, but online multiplayer and in-game purchases require a Capcom ID.
• Company response: Capcom says it is notifying every affected user and working to block further intrusion.

Quick take

Laidlaw writes that the leaked email addresses are the biggest concern, since he expects attackers to use them in mass phishing emails carrying malicious links. He suggests card purchase alerts and stronger passwords stored in a password manager. He also counts the breach among several recent security threats, including two PHP flaws he refers to as Black October.

Read the full story at Blaze News.