Epic Games Speaks Out About Leaked Fortnite Login Concerns
Epic Games is tackling its latest Fortnite fire head-on as the developer and publisher is keen to put our fears of a massive data leak at ease. Rumours of a leaked Fortnite login scandal have started doing the rounds, with panicked players worrying that their sensitive information - and even bank details - have been released to the world wide web. Following in the footsteps of a rumoured Activision breach last year that could've plagued Call of Duty, Fortnite is the latest smash hit to be struck with a potential data leak.
These days, it's all too easy to hand over your sensitive information without really thinking about the consequences. How many of us scroll down to the bottom of the Terms and Conditions and simply click accept without reading the fine print? Still, publishers make it a non-negotiable step if you want to play their games, and also give their promise that your information will be safely locked away in a virtual vault. However, is that always the case?
What is the leaked Fortnite login rumour?
The latest drama comes from Built By Gamers' Jonathan "Yung Calculator" Weber, who claimed (in a now-deleted tweet) that Epic is leaking your information through Fortnite's in-game leaderboards. Weber took to Twitter to share his theory after he was logged out of his account. According to the pro player, our information is being skimmed from leaderboards, which allows hackers to gain access to our accounts, change passwords, and kick the original account owner out of the game.
Standing by this wild-sounding idea, Weber wrote, "Guys, Epic Games’ infrastructure is so dogmeat that if you don’t have this turned off, people can find your email". Discussing where he's pulled this from, Weber continued, "That’s kind of bad on its own, but then if they have your email, they can send password resets to your account. That’s fine normally on Twitter, it means nothing normally, but on Epic Games, it logs you out in-game"
Giving examples of where it's happened before, he concluded, "This has happened to Clix, Nick Eh 30, Nate Hill, everyone. Epic Games has no idea what they’re doing. Their infrastructure is garbage. They need to change it. It’s disgraceful". It's a pretty scandalous accusation to start throwing around, and as the allegations caught steam, Epic was keen to nip this one in the bud. Addressing leaked Fortnite login concerns, Epic assured panicked players that there's nothing to worry about. So, looks like it's back to blasting people apart as the Predator then?
What has epic said about leaked Fortnite login concerns?
Fortnite datamining account @FNBRUnreleased jumped to Epic's defence and said the company's Application Programming Interface (API) doesn't allow the exchange of information. This standpoint was reiterated by Epic, which released a statement on the whole sorry affair:
“We investigated reports that leaderboards were divulging non-public information or causing unauthorized logouts. This is not the case. We are certain that affected accounts remain secure, player info (incl. email addresses) isn’t being divulged & any logout issue is resolved".
Obviously, there will be the occasional slip-up, but it's normally not the fault of the company. Epic advises that you make sure your passwords are strong and that two-factor authentication is enabled. If TFA is enabled, you get a cute little emote anyway. In the meantime, it doesn't sound like a simple statement from Epic is going to alleviate Weber's concerns that his information isn't safe. Still, the backlash might've seen him change his mind!
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