'This Has to Stop' — PlayStation User Recovers Hacked PSN Account, But Worries Others Won't Be So Fortunate

PlayStation users are once again worried about the safety of their PSN accounts after another well-known community figure fell victim to hackers.

Over the weekend, RealRadec, a prominent PlayStation community member, reported that his PSN account had been compromised. According to him, the attackers altered his login credentials, including his email address, effectively locking him out. He also mentioned that PlayStation's support phone line—which already has a poor reputation for being unhelpful—was unavailable, leaving him with no one to turn to.

This incident echoes a similar event from earlier this summer involving Colin Moriarty, a noted PlayStation podcaster and former IGN employee. Moriarty's PSN account was stolen during a livestream, causing some alarm. However, thanks to his standing in the PlayStation community, he was able to generate significant attention and get help from various contacts at Sony. During a stream on Monday, Moriarty confirmed that he extended that same assistance to Radec, as the two have worked together on Moriarty's podcast network, Last Stand Media.

Ultimately, Radec got his account back, but he was quick to point out that without his platform and connections, he might not have been so lucky.

"It would be foolish of me not to acknowledge that this was dealt with as quickly as possible because of the position I'm in," Radec said. "Not many people have that reach, and I am fully aware of that. This is a problem that has been brewing for a long time now at PlayStation. No one deserves to have their account stolen from them and lose access to all of their games, DLC, save data, trophies, etc. It's not right. This needs to change."

In recent years, numerous PlayStation users have reported being hacked. There have also been reports of accounts being stolen and resold online for hundreds of dollars, allowing buyers to take over someone else's digital games, trophies, and data.

Moriarty reported in May that hackers can provide otherwise mundane information (dates of PSN transactions, names, birthdays, and email addresses) to PlayStation support to prove their identity and gain access to accounts. Moriarty's producer and co-host, Dustin Furman, stated at the time that someone they trusted was able to replicate this on two accounts to prove it was more than just a theory. They went on to state that this allows hackers the ability to circumvent security methods like two-factor authentication. IGN has reached out to Sony for comment on how it is combatting the situation.

This is an ongoing issue that has caused considerable anxiety as we move toward an all-digital era for PlayStation. Sony has confirmed that it will stop producing physical games starting in 2028, meaning the PS6 will likely be an all-digital console. Without the option of physical games for protection, this could lead to major problems unless PlayStation addresses its security flaws.