PS5 and PS4 gamers have been been advised to make sure their PSN accounts are protected by Two Factor Authentication (2FA). Last month reports emerged that an alleged data breach was causing PlayStation 3 console IDs to be leaked, which was leading to some users being banned. It was claimed millions of PS3 gamers could have been affected by this alleged breach.
And in the aftermath of these reports emerging an official PlayStation Twitter account has given some security advice.
As reported by Siliconera (via Game Watch), the Ask PlayStation Japan has advised PlayStation gamers to enable Two-Factor Authentication on their accounts.
The @AskPS_JP Twitter said they had received many messages from PSN users who had their accounts hijacked.
And as a result, they were advising PlayStation gamers to activate 2FA on their PSN accounts.
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The Ask PlayStation JP Twitter posted: “We have received many inquiries from customers whose accounts have been hijacked.
“As a countermeasure, we recommend setting 2-step verification. Click here for the setting method”.
There is no indication, however, that the reports of account hijacking are linked to the alleged PS3 data breach.
Nor is there any indication the PSN hijacking reports are a sign of Sony’s accounts being breached.
Two-Factor Authentication is an easy way to add an extra layer of security to your logins, and is offered by a wide range of services.
When you log in with your e-mail and password, you will be sent a verification ID to your mobile phone number which also needs to be entered to log in.
This code will only be valid for a limited amount of time, after which you will need to request another two-step code. Here’s how you can set-up two factor authentication on your PSN account.
SET UP PSN 2FA ON A WEB BROWSER
• Go to Account Management on a connected device and select Security. Next to 2-Step Verification Status, select Edit > Activate > Continue.
• Select how you’d like to receive the verification code: Authenticator App or Text Message
SET UP PSN 2FA ON PS4
• Go to Settings > Account Management > Account Information > Security > 2-Step Verification.
• Select Activate to switch on 2SV.
• Select how you’d like to receive the verification code: Authenticator App or Text Message
SET UP PSN ON PS5
• Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Security > 2-Step Verification.
• Select Activate to switch on 2SV.
• Select how you’d like to receive the verification code: Authenticator App or Text Message