Minecraft Passwords And User Names ‘Leaked’ Online
Minecraft players may have more than just creepers to worry about
Up to 1,800 user names and passwords claiming to provide access to PC accounts on the popular Minecraft video game have been posted online, potentially exposing players to a number of security risks.
German website Heise says the affected accounts appear to belong to players located within the country and says some of the credentials have been verified.
Minecraft account hack
The breach could allow anyone to cause havoc within users’ saved games, while the login details could also be used to purchase a full version of Minecraft, which was bought by Microsoft for $2.5 billion (£1.6bn) last year.
It’s unclear how the hackers obtained the logins, but if there has been a breach at Mojang itself, the results could be catastrophic for Minecraft’s estimated 100 million players.
Security experts have said that phishing or keylogging attacks could also be responsible and warn the leak could have implications far beyond the world of Minecraft – especially if players use the same passwords for other online services and if those behind the breach have more than the initial 1,800 accounts ready to be disclosed at a later date.
Mojang did not respond to TechWeekEurope’s requests for comment at the time of publication, but its ‘choosing a good password’ page on the support section of its website has been updated today.
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