Capcom has confirmed a data breach affecting 11.7 million users of its Capcom ID account system, the company said. The compromised data includes millions of account email addresses. Capcom ID remains available for use, but users may see more phishing scam emails as a result.
The breach also exposed the birth date, gender, country or region and nicknames of 43 accounts, according to Capcom's statement. Unauthorized changes were made to 196 account passwords. The company said customer credit card information was not included in the breach.
Capcom said it detected suspicious activity indicating potential unauthorized access to Capcom ID on October 19. The company blocked access immediately and began investigating the cause and scope of the incident. It confirmed that unauthorized access had already occurred. Capcom then reported the incident to local police and its external advisory board for security oversight.
Capcom said it identified and addressed the attack method in the incident. Any service that uses Capcom ID is still available, including games such as Street Fighter 6 that require it for online play. The company warned users to be wary of suspicious emails, since the leaked information could be used to send scam messages impersonating Capcom.
The incident adds to a string of security problems for major gaming companies. Rockstar Games confirmed in April that it was hit by a third-party data breach.
For US users, the exposure of email addresses and other account details creates openings for phishing messages crafted to look like official Capcom communications. Capcom's statement did not indicate that payment card data was affected, and the company has not said how many users outside the reported total may still be at risk.
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