More than 94 million people have PlayStation Network accounts, and all these people risk being attacked by hackers. Since the games, movies, and music are all often attached to an account, losing access to it could be a very big deal.
So, what do you have to do if a hacker stole your PSN account? Here are the things you do to recover a hacked PlayStation Network account.
1. Act asap
The same second that you believe someone has gained access to your PSN account, you must take action. There’s a black market for such accounts, and the hacker could earn money selling access to games.
2. Change the password
Similarly to the majority of security breaches, the simplest yet the most crucial thing you should do is changing the password. Probably your password is known to the hacker by now, moreover, other accounts with the same password are likely to be compromised, too. There are two ways to do it, depending on whether you’re using a console or your PC/phone.
Console: Go to the settings, then choose ‘Account Management,’ ‘Account Information,’ then ‘Security,’ and lastly ‘Password.’ You might be asked to enter your current password to verify your identity. In the end, you can enter your current and new passwords to change them.
PC: Log into your account, next click on your picture in the top-right corner of the screen. The drop-down menu will appear, choose ‘Account Settings.’ You may be requested to give your login information anew to verify your identity.
Visit the main Sony Entertainment Network page; choose ‘Security’ on the left side of your screen. On this page, click ‘edit’ and enter your new password. We recommend you to use the service called Dash Lane to generate and collect secure passwords.
3. Account Recovery
If you can’t log into your account in order to change your password, you’ll have to use PSN account recovery. Use your PC (or phone/laptop) to visit the Sony Entertainment Network page. Choose ‘Trouble signing in?’ below the login screen. On the following page, click on ‘Reset your password.’ Immediately you’ll be able to enter your email to get a link to reset the password.
4. Kick Out Thieves
SEN accounts have a helpful security characteristic, which has to be your next move. As soon as you’re logged back into your account, go to the ‘Security’ page. At the bottom-right corner of it, there is a button that says ‘Sign Out on All Devices.’ Click this button and then on ‘OK.’ This will sign out your account on all devices. Even though you’ll have to sign in on your console anew, it also implies that if your account has been stolen, the hackers won’t have access anymore.
5. Turn on 2FA
As soon as you’ve ensured the security of your PlayStation Network account from the hackers, you need to preserve this security. 2FA (2-Factor Authentication) is an excellent feature to improve the security of your account. Make sure that you’ve previously attached your phone number to the account. Next press on ‘edit’ on the two-factor authentication tab. Finally, turn on the feature that will send codes to your phone to allow you to access the account.
6. Unlink Social Accounts
Similar to lots of other things nowadays, PlayStation Network and SEN accounts can be attached to social media accounts. It might be a good way to share some gaming information with your buddies, but it also makes you more vulnerable to attacks. It means that hackers have the info about the games you play, and any big games assigned to your account will be a principal objective for resellers.
