Chinese game developer miHoYo is taking the blame for a recently discovered data security breach that exposed players' private information.
The security breach in "Genshin Impact" was reported by Reddit user TiltOnPlay. According to him, upon visiting the official website of game developer miHoYo to reset a password, he discovered that his mobile number linked to his account was shown in full. Essentially, it could mean that anyone could access the player's mobile number by just typing the username on the game's official site.
The post earned the attention of the industry, particularly "Genshin Impact" players. Soon after, several players reported similar incidents and shared their findings. It turned out some players' numbers were censored properly, which means the discovery is not affecting all accounts. Several players believed the issue has already been fixed, but it remains unknown why some players' personal data was exposed.
If you linked via mobile, your phone numbers are publically visible to everyone from r/Genshin_Impact
Digital Privacy Expert Andreas Theodorou told Nintendo Life that it is the way miHoYo shows its concern for protecting its users. He added that this is not the first time the gaming studio has been criticized for failing to secure users' privacy. The digital expert mentioned that miHoYo's action enabled stalkers, scammers and other cybercriminals to create possible access to sensitive users' information, putting "Genshin Impact" players at risk.
miHoYo has been the subject of criticism just days after "Genshin Impact" was officially released. Several players complained that the dev's anti-cheat system continued to run on their PC background even after they have already exited or uninstalled the gacha game. Back then, miHoYo assured players that the anti-cheat program only reads system information to ensure fair playing ground among users. Later it revealed that it has already solved the issue.
In connection with the recently discovered security flaw, miHoYo shared a statement to GameIndustry.biz. According to the gaming studio, it is doing immediate action to resolve the issue. "The team has already noticed the systematic issue which might accidentally reveal users' phone numbers. The team took immediate action to fix the problem, and so far, the issue should be resolved now," the dev said.
With an overwhelming number of "Genshin Impact" players actively enjoying the hit gacha RPG title, there is too much personal information at stake is security and privacy are not handled well. Just a few days after it was released, 17 million gamers installed the game.
Currently, "Genshin Impact" is available on PC, PS4, iOS and Android devices. miHoYo confirmed that the game would soon release on Nintendo Switch, making its player base even larger.
