Protect your PSN account: how it works

Protect your PSN account: Two-step verification

Precisely because the PSN account is linked to the game status as well as credit card information or a PayPal account, it offers hackers a popular target.
For you, this means that you should be particularly careful with your PSN account and its security.
As soon as you discover unauthorized debits or loss of access to your account, you should immediately contact PlayStation support, as well as the credit card operator or PayPal.
To anticipate such an attack, it is recommended to use two-factor authentication in connection with your PSN account.
Part of this two-factor registration is, on the one hand, the password of the PSN account and, on the other hand, a verification code, which you will receive by SMS.
Even if the two-factor verification is more complex in your facility, it does a lot in terms of security.

To activate the two-factor registration, you need a PSN account with an email address, a smartphone with which you can receive the security code via SMS, and a PlayStation 4.
Navigate to the settings on the PlayStation, there to "PlayStation Network", then select "Account management". In the submenu, look for the "Account information" option. Under this tab, select "Security" and then "Two-step verification". Click on "Set up now" to start the setup process.
In the next step, enter your country and fill in the corresponding field with your mobile phone number.
You should then receive an SMS with a code. Enter this code on your PlayStation in the space provided. Confirm your entry with "Activate".
There are ten replacement codes available that you should best write down. You can find this by navigating in the settings as indicated above, but under "Two-step verification" select "Substitute codes".

After you have activated the two-factor verification, nothing changes when you log in.

However, there are some exceptional cases in which the new verification is used, such as when you log in for the first time after activation, when you reset the password, change the login ID, you log in to your console on a different console, or you log in manually logged out of the PS4.
Simply enter your login ID and the password of your account to (re) register.
Immediately afterwards you will receive an SMS with a new verification code.
Enter the code on the PlayStation and select "Sign In". Please note that the code is only valid for ten minutes after the SMS has been sent. If you try to enter the code after the time has expired, an error message is displayed. In this case, select the "Resend code" option.

Another practical tip shows you how to proceed to cancel your PlayStation Plus membership.