Genshin Impact hackers can reportedly keep stolen accounts, here’s how best to protect your account

A new video on Reddit shows that after a Genshin Impact player's account was hacked, developer MiHoyo's customer service team reportedly declared that the hacker could keep the player's account because they'd already purchased an in-game top up on the hacked account.

You can see the full response from MiHoyo's customer service just below on the Reddit post, from the player that was hacked. Because the hacker had purchased in-game items after they acquired the account through the hack, MiHoyo's security response dictates that the hacker gets to keep the account because they spent real world money.

Video showing the support response from miHoYO, stating an account thief gets to keep my account because they bought some Top-Offs after stealing my account. from r/Genshin_Impact

This is, to put it lightly, not the desired outcome. Heading over to the MiHoyo forums though, you can find various pages on how to best protect your Genshin Impact account against a hack from another player, as it's reasonable to say that a fair few players have experienced hacked and stolen accounts since the game first launched back in September.

One guide in particular on the MiHoyo forums provides a great overview in how to best protect your account. Firstly, the forum post recommends using a different email address to the one you usually use for everyday business, and also generate a 16-digital passcode for your Genshin Impact account by using the Bitwarden website.

Next, you'll want to forgo using this passcode for use anywhere else, preventing you from falling victim to potential phishing scams. Additionally, you should also choose multiple security questions when setting up your Genshin Impact account with MiHoyo, providing answers that only you can ascertain.

Finally, the guide recommends to avoid downloading anything that you aren't sure is virus-free, which I suppose is also solid life advice in general. Always try and focus on downloading open-source programs if you absolutely have to download something, and you can scan for viruses using Virus Total.

It's always a good idea to have two-factor authentication enabled for any online accounts you might have, even if Genshin Impact doesn't support it at this moment in time.  Consider setting it up on the email account you use for the game. 

Despite these issues, Genshin Impact continues to remain an astronomical success for developer MiHoyo, having grossed over $400 million worldwide since it launched under three months ago. In fact, it was recently crowned game of the year by both Apple and Google's award bodies.

For more on MiHoyo's impressive game, why not head over to our Genshin Impact tips guide for more.