Nintendo Hit By Lulzsec Hackers

Japanese game maker Nintendo said on Sunday that a server connected to the website of its US unit had been hacked, but said no sensitive information was disclosed.

Nintendo’s admission came after the hacker group Lulzsec posted data online claiming it was a Nintendo server configuration file.

Benign hack

Nintendo acknowledged that the server had been accessed by hackers, but said the information accessed didn’t include any information on the company or any personal data on customers.

Lulzsec said in a Twitter message that it had not intended to cause problems for Nintendo, but rather was looking to spur the company to close a security hole.

“We’re not targeting Nintendo,” Lulzsec wrote. “We like the N64 too much — we sincerely hope Nintendo plugs the gap.”

The breach contrasted to Sony’s recent troubles. Last week Lulzsec published several lists with extracts from over one million compromised user accounts it claimed to have stolen from SonyPictures.com.

The most recent attack came as the company returned its Playstation Network sites to service on 2 June, following hacks that compromised millions of PSN accounts.

Losses

Sony Pictures, Sony Playstation Network, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sony Qriocity, the Sony-run Japanese service provider So-net, the Canadian Sony Ericsson eShop, and a company server in Thailand have all been hacked in the past six weeks.

In May Sony predicted a $3.2 billion (£2 bn) loss in its 2010 fiscal year after the Playstation hack and the earthquake in Japan.

Originally set to enjoy a $858 million (£531m) profit, the Japanese electronics giant had to re-evaluate its earnings for the 2010 fiscal year after being hit by two damaging incidents.

According to Sony, the Playstation hack has caused approximately $171.2 million (£106m) in losses, after taking down its service for several weeks and compromising 77 million users’ personal details.