Japan's official Pokémon store, "Pokémon Center Online," announced today (July 3) that its website has recently been targeted by hackers using externally acquired account information for unauthorized logins. To prevent further escalation, the company has decided to force a password reset for all members, requiring everyone to set a new password to continue using their accounts.
In fact, since June 24, Pokémon Center Online has repeatedly entered emergency maintenance, with multiple announcements extending the downtime. This left many Pokémon fans confused and uneasy on social media, wondering what was happening. The official statement finally confirmed that the root cause was "account theft."
According to the explanation, the unauthorized logins utilized account (email) and password combinations leaked from other websites, a classic "credential stuffing" attack where users reuse passwords across multiple services.
The personal data potentially exposed in this incident includes: email addresses, names, physical addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and recipient information (including shipping addresses).
While the official statement did not disclose the exact number of affected individuals, forcing all members to reset their passwords is an exceptionally serious measure. For accounts where abnormal activity was detected, such as altered member information or suspicious order history, the company has already proactively suspended them.
Once a password has been successfully reset and login is possible, users can continue to use their accounts. Furthermore, to prevent similar incidents in the future, the company plans to implement a two-factor authentication (2FA) system for logins in August. Any product sales, lotteries, or events originally scheduled during the maintenance period will be extended or new dates/methods will be announced.
Such a large-scale change in security protocols suggests that the impact of this hack could be significant, though the official statement did not provide an actual damage assessment. Given the vast number of Pokémon Center members, the risk of such extensive personal data exposure has indeed raised considerable concerns among the Japanese public regarding the website's cybersecurity.