PS5 consoles show adult games as recently played, raising PSN security issue

PlayStation console owners are noticing adult games on their dashboards or apps, despite never having downloaded the titles. A hacker may be exploiting PSN to inject these PS5 games into recently played lists. Sony hasn’t offered an explanation, but gamers are now seeing all entries removed from this section.

Push Square highlighted a series of social media posts, including one displaying Sex Store Simulator on a PS5. Many of the mature-themed selections aren’t listed on the PlayStation Store. While embarrassing for some players, it doesn’t seem that PSN accounts are victims of a security breach.

Sony has been slammed for failing to protect logins on its network. After content creators like Colin Moriarty had their accounts compromised, they struggled to regain access. Players can lose thousands of dollars' worth of purchases or PlayStation trophies. Customer support is a popular target for hackers, who are easily convinced to provide sensitive information.

How dangerous is the suspected exploit?

Even with a rash of incidents, the recently played adult games epidemic is likely the result of an unrelated security flaw. Social media poster Poncho labels it as a “potentially serious data integrity issue”. He notes that the Game Library/Activity component of the PSN backend is particularly vulnerable. Nefarious parties can add a PS5 game to this list, whether or not a console user owns it.

It’s possible that the exploit could have more severe consequences if left unaddressed. For now, Sony may have disabled this part of the dashboard while it investigates. The situation reminds critics of past issues or service outages, when PlayStation’s communication was non-existent.

It may not prevent adult content from invading, but it’s always wise to enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on PSN accounts. Occasionally changing passwords and monitoring for suspicious activity is also recommended.