Data breaches have become so common that they barely shock anyone anymore. Every few weeks, another company is forced to explain how sensitive information ended up in the hands of hackers. This time, it’s Nintendo facing uncomfortable questions.
A hacker group calling itself an “extortion-as-a-service” operation, ShadowByt3$, claims to be in possession of sensitive employee data and has threatened to release it publicly unless it receives a $2 million payment.
According to the group, it stole around 893MB of Nintendo employee data from TinyPulse, a third-party service Nintendo uses for internal employee surveys. The stolen information allegedly includes employee names, email addresses, bank statements, and private conversations. The group gave Nintendo 48 hours to pay.
Nintendo Denies Systems Were Compromised
It appears Nintendo did not respond to the alleged blackmail demand. Addressing the claims in a statement reported by Kotaku, Nintendo said, “We are aware of an issue involving TinyPulse, a third-party service used for internal employee surveys at Nintendo of America. Nintendo’s systems have not been compromised, and no personal customer or financial data has been accessed.”
