How To Tell If Your PS4 Was Hacked

The PlayStation network has been hacked numerous times but how can you tell if your PS4 was hacked? Your PS4 contains your credit card information and your full name and address, so knowing this is important.

I researched the internet trying to find out to help people like you and others like you out.

If you try to sign in to your PSN account and you are denied access and then check your email and it says your password and email have been changed then your PSN account has been hacked, also your 2-step vertification code could become deactivated

Now Sony itself have been hacked but more likely your PSN account was too easy or you made your public information readily available, but it is possible a hacker called PSN with your PSN ID pretending to be you.

I will discuss what to do if your account was hacked and how you can prevent getting hacked in the future.

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How To Recover A Hacked PS4 Account

  1. Verify you’ve been signed out of PS4 by trying to sign into your account
  2. Identify the day you got hacked this is most likely Friday as PSN support is closed on the weekends
  3. Contact PSN support
  4. PSN will tell you to make another account don’t listen to them
  5. Wait around 1 hour and call PSN again
  6. Provide PSN with any information they request
  7. Your account will be locked this is a security protocol from Sony wait around 2-10  business days before calling again
  8. After 2-10 business days call PSN again and you will receive an email where you can create a new email and password to recover your account

Follow these steps by the YouTuber TLD Filmz(above video) to get your account back after it was hacked. Every step is important and when Sony say wait 2-10 business days LISTEN to them as calling them beforehand could restart the process to day zero.

Usually you will be hacked on a Friday as Sony network support is closed on the weekend, but importantly do NOT listen to a Sony representative who says they cannot do anything for you, you need to be persistent and follow the steps until you find a good rep who wants to help you.

How To Avoid Your PS4 Account From Getting Hacked

Enable 2-step verification and do not join random PSN parties as someone can steal your IP with applications known as console sniffers such as LANC as they can find your IP address, never click on links that end in a .co or links like Spotify.co or Grabify.

These scummy scammers steal your IP by using applications as known as console sniffers, using their computer they highlight your PSN ID to find out your IP address.

Never join random PSN parties from people you don’t know as they will send links that look like Sptoify.co or Grabify and disguise these console sniffers as music links.

The YouTuber in the above video TLD Filmz got hacked as someone disguised a console sniffer as a website that looks like Spotify pretending to be a music artist. Disgusting right? NEVER click on a link that ends in a .co.

To see more information on how people hack, check out this reddit post but PLEASE never hack anyone as your hurting the other person and no good can come of it.

6 Ways To Prevent Your PS4 Account From Getting Hacked

  • Enable 2 step verification
  • Set all PS4 messages to private
  • Change your password regularly
  • Have a password manager
  • Limit Your Personal Information Online
  • Use The Second Answers As A Different Password

1.Have Your PS4 Account Messages Sent To Private

Settings Account Management Privacy Settings Personal Info Messages > set to no one

Do you always get sent random party invites from people you don’t know and random messages? I do to and the majority of these will be from dodgy people trying to scam you!

Setting messages to private so only your friends can message you stops all these messages, as even if you ignore them it only takes you accidentally clicking on one for a hacker to get your IP address and hack your account!

Whilst you can recover your account Sony will have no control over what the hacker does to your account, so why take the risk?

2.Set Up Two-Step Verification.

Set up 2 step verification for your PSN account by going to [settings]> [PlayStation network]> [account information] > [security] >[enable 2 step verification]

Two-step verification will send a text message to your registered phone number whenever someone trying to sign into your account with a new device, yes it will take an extra 20 seconds every time but this is a LOT quicker than the lengthy process Sony takes for account recovery.

3.Change Your PSN Password Often

You should be constantly changing passwords in every account you have, as hackers will always try to stay one step ahead. Unlike Microsoft which as a software company is notoriously difficult to hack Sony has been hacked many times notably in 2011 where a hacker accessed the information of 77 million PSN users!

Do you really trust Sony with your information? I don’t and it is only a matter of time before Sony is hacked again so changing your password frequently is only second best to the next step.

4.Invest In A Password Manager

Using a Password Manager to keep your passwords in your phone and computer greatly reduces the risk of someone hacking your PSN account.

These programs automatically generate a 16 digit password with multiple symbols that is nearly impossible to hack and easily allow you to save and use your passwords whenever you please. I’ve been using LastPass for a while and it keeps all my passwords and PSN safe in its vault.

99/100 the reason people get hacked like in 2014 when Microsoft & Sony got hacked is because of easy to hack passwords. A Password manager stops this from happening, check out the video below on why you should use a password manager and I cannot recommend LastPass enough.

5.Limit Your Personal Information Online

The Internet is becoming more and more important in peoples lives but this brings tremendous opportunities for hackers to steal your information. Don’t just be careful with giving out your Password but try to limit all the personal information you have online.

Nowadays people are instagramming everything, their first coffee of the day and even their dogs birthdays! Imagine how useful this information is for a potential hacker? I have a Insta account but don’t put any personal information on it and I recommend you do the same.

6.Use The Second Answers As A Different Password

You know the secondary answers, like what is your mothers maiden name what was your first school? The issue with these questions is people are so open with what they include on the internet a hacker could very easily find the answers to these questions.

However, if you answer these questions wrong or with random answers? Hackers will have no idea how to break this verification, just make sure you make a note of the answers themselves in case you forget!

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