PlayStation Network account hack raises security concerns and exposes careless support

The PlayStation Network has suffered high-profile hacks and outages, including an infamous 2011 data breach. Unfortunately, smaller-scale security failings have continued. A recent incident with a French journalist highlights how easy it is obtain sensitive login details from PSN support.

Two PSN hacks despite 2FA

The writer for Numerama, Nicolas Lellouche, documented his struggles on social media. He first detailed how a hacker compromised his PSN account and replaced the associated email and password. Lellouche also noticed a charge of €9.99, which is the fee for the changes.

After contacting support, the journalist realized how straightforward the recovery procedure is. Lellouche only needed to supply his username and a transaction number from a past bill. Although the service offers two-factor authentication (2FA), that did little to slow down the process.

An hour after regaining access, Lellouche realized he had been hacked again. Having no luck with PlayStation Network support, he decided to contact the suspicious party. The individual was cooperative, claiming that a transaction number the writer had posted online was the culprit. Regardless, the suspect would rather play Call of Duty on the account than end his attacks.

PSN support overlooks suspicious activity

Lellouche’s latest ticket is on hold while agents investigate. His story may have a happy ending, but readers are now even more skeptical of PlayStation Network security. A hard lesson to learn is that it’s never wise to share any account details, even when protecting more sensitive logins. Still, the incident isn’t the first time the company has willingly cooperated with hackers.

In October, the collector of copious PlayStation trophies, dav1d_123, saw his accomplishments stolen. Like the Numerama journalist, he spoke to the thief who sells the trophies on the black market. Once again, the hacker only needed to provide a user name to convince PSN to hand over ownership.  

It’s obvious that gamers can’t rely on 2FA or PlayStation to detect unusual activity. However, it’s not just PS5 users who fear losing digital purchases or encountering unexpected charges. An Xbox fan recently lost a 15 year stockpile of games after a hacker switched up his email address. In this case, customer service has been far more hesitant to restore access to the original owner.