Capcom data breach affects 12 million users; credit card details safe

Video game company Capcom announced earlier this week that its systems were subject to unauthorized access by a third party. About 12 million users were reported to be affected. The company said it has taken the necessary steps to bring the situation under control.

What data was affected?

According to Capcom, the leaked data includes the email addresses of millions of users. In addition, the birth dates, gender, country or region details and nicknames of 43 accounts were affected. During the attack, the passwords of 196 user accounts were changed without authorization. The company stressed that its investigation found customers' credit card information was outside the scope of the breach and remains safe.

How the incident unfolded

The incident is dated to October 19. Capcom said it detected suspicious activity on Capcom ID that day and received a signal of potential unauthorized access. After blocking the access, the company began investigating the cause and scope of the incident and confirmed that unauthorized access had taken place.

Capcom reported the incident to local police and to the external advisory firm responsible for security audits. The company said the attack method has been identified and the problem resolved, and that it has updated its defenses and is reviewing its security standards.

Warning for users

The Capcom ID service is active; online games that require a Capcom ID, such as Street Fighter 6, and other services are available. However, the company warns that the leaked information could be used by malicious actors. Fake emails impersonating Capcom are seen as one of the biggest risks, and users are urged to be careful with suspicious messages.

Data breaches have become frequent in the gaming industry recently; Rockstar Games also confirmed last April that it had suffered a third-party data breach.