It’s very bad news today for anyone out there who might still be using a 2005 Nintendo Wi-Fi dongle, for some reason. As reported by Eurogamer, the company has warned anyone who’s continued to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector (you know, the thing that once let you connect the Nintendo DS, DSi and Wii to their now defunct online services) to stop immediately, due to security concerns.
In a post on Nintendo’s Japanese support page, it was revealed that users of both the 2005 Wi-Fi USB Connector and the 2008 Wi-Fi Network Adapter (which only released in Japan) are at risk of “unauthorised access from the outside or infection of the connected terminal with a computer virus” (translated via Google). Nintendo have apologised for the inconvenience.
While you're here, take a look at this real-life Wiimote-powered car in the video below.
“We have discontinued the use of the network devices Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector (NTR-010) and Nintendo Wi-Fi Network Adapter (WAP-001) released in 2005 and 2008 from the viewpoint of security protection,” the post reads (translated by Google). “For security protection, we ask that customers who are currently using the product stop using it immediately and switch to a commercially available network device.”
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People who use either of these devices are specifically at risk of “falsification or leakage of communication data by a third party”, as well as unauthorised access and network hijacking, but anyone using the Japanese Wi-Fi Network Adapter is also vulnerable to “malware infection via the device”.
Given that the Wii and DS online services were terminated back in 2014, not to mention the fact that the final shipments of the Wi-Fi devices were in 2010 and 2013 respectively, it seems unlikely that this would affect too many people, but just keep it in mind, okay? You can’t deny that the devices had a very good run, anyway.
Topics: Nintendo