More than 250,000,000 gamers are at risk because of the Epic Games data breach. What happened? Also, what can you do if your account is compromised?
Read on to learn more.
Attack on Epic Games Gamers
A cybersecurity company found out about the Epic Games data breach. It happened all because of an unsecured page way back in 2004.
Some Epic gamer accounts were affected by the breach last 2018. Hackers got hold of private information, such as:
- email addresses
- leaked passwords
- other information
In addition, Epic did not confirm the exact number of victims. Still, security experts believe that all of their users were breached.
But, Epic said that their account system has never been compromised. Their system also powers three sites, like:
- Fortnite
- Epic Games store
- Unreal Engine
Unfortunately, hackers gained access to some credit card information. They sent phishing links through emails.
These links included a fake login page. So, when users click it, hackers can hack their accounts.
Hence, hackers accessed millions of accounts. They also sold it on the dark web. In fact, from in-app purchases alone, they earned thousands of dollars.
Additionally, hackers listened to chats from gamers. Worse, it included conversations from kids that play the games.
When the Epic Games Data Breach Happened
The data breach happened in late 2018. Also, CheckPoint discovered the flaw in November 2018.
But, Epic Games discovered it in January 2019. They fixed the vulnerability immediately. Still, the accounts were already breached.
Their Action
Epic has been working hard to trace the hacked files. They also reset the passwords of the gamers. Especially those accounts that were included in the breach.
Moreover, they automated their security methods. Thus, they can close the gap of the affected users.
Also, they set up multi-factor authentication. So, gamers can have additional security measures.
What You Can Do
If you have an Epic Games account before January 2019, you could be a victim, too. In fact, many users complained about suspicious charges on their cards.
So, what are the steps you can do? You can protect your account by the following:
- Cancel your debit or credit card. You can also ask your bank to give you another.
- Teach your child about the steps to stay safe while playing online.
- Avoid clicking links from unknown emails.
- Never download attachments from suspicious senders.
- Sign up for credit monitoring. So, you can track your card activities.
- Look for fraudulent charges in your credit account.
- Keep your computer updated.
- Install antivirus software.
Good password habits
Password security is critical. But, it can be hard to remember each password every time.
Thankfully, you can use a password generator. It can give you unique and strong passwords for every account.
Also, password managers can keep those passwords for you. So, you don’t have to worry about forgetting them.
How can you secure your passwords more?
- Change your Epic Games account password. Create another with a strong one.
- Change your passwords frequently.
- Never reuse the same passwords on different websites.
- If you reused the same password, change those, too. Hackers can access it using the same login details.
