Nintendo Monitoring Hackers, Offering Compromise To Combat Intellectual Property Breaches: Report

Nintendo is no stranger to hackers and modders using its intellectual properties for their gain. Legal action can be taken, but this will only be effective if the company can prove and pin down the perpetrators. It appears Nintendo is doing that — with a familiar twist in the end.

Documents obtained by Nintendo leaker Eclipse on Twitter revealed a detailed investigation that the gaming company launched against 3DS hacker Neimod in 2013. It appears Nintendo kept close tabs on the individual and was pretty much aware of his daily activities and schedule. The document was dubbed as the “Hacker Enforcement Proposal,” which details every move of Neimod.

The details mentioned in the leaked document included Neimod’s experience as a programmer and a hardware architect. It turns out he was a priority target, although it goes beyond taking action against him.

Instead of that, it appears the ulterior motive of Nintendo is to hire Neimod to help the company identify its exploitable weaknesses for the 3DS in exchange for bounties. This practice is hardly surprising considering other companies in Silicon Valley have done the same for their platforms.

The partnership could be beneficial to both. Nintendo could identify flaws, while hackers like Neimod could get their hands on rare hardware items not sold in the market. In the event he opts not to comply, he could face legal action for thumbing it down.

Some may find it disturbing or strange that a company like Nintendo would go through the trouble of monitoring hackers like Neimod. No assurance will bring down the illegal activities tied to Nintendo’s intellectual properties. Hence, identifying them and offering them something in exchange could be the next best thing to fend off these unlawful attacks.

This year, Nintendo had not been spared from breaches. Though the company has moved on to the Nintendo Switch, a massive leak tied to old consoles like the Wii and the Nintendo 64 came out.

Although the focus is different, they are still Nintendo's properties and some documents tied to them remain confidential. It is intrusions like these that may have forced the company to target and then commission hackers such as Neimod.