According to reports, Sony will soon be introducing two-factor authentication to its popular gaming platform, the PlayStation Network. Although the company has yet to make an official announcement, Sony confirmed to the gaming news website Polygon that the security feature was in the works.
"In order to further safeguard our users and their accounts, we are preparing to offer a 2-step verification feature," a Sony representative told Polygon.
The representative did not provide a time frame for when the new feature would be rolled out, adding that more details would be shared at a later date. Earlier this week, Sony released a firmware update for its PlayStation 3 console – version 4.80 – which mentions the feature if a user enters incorrect login information. One PlayStation 3 users shared a screenshot of the login error screen on Twitter:
More proof about #PSN 2-step verification. This is from PS3 after today's v4.80 update. pic.twitter.com/Kt4WbyGk6G
— Tuomas Tonteri (@tontsa) April 20, 2016
The screen reads:
“The sign-in ID or password is incorrect. If 2-step verification is active, you must enter a device setup password into the [Password] field. Check your mobile phone for a text message about your Sony Entertainment Network account.”
Two-step verification, or two-factor authentication, requires users to confirm their identity by providing two different forms of verification when logging into a service. The process often asks users to enter their existing login details, as well as a second piece of information, such as a one-time passcode, which may be generated by a mobile app or received via text message. Some users believe Sony’s move was long overdue. In 2011, Sony suffered a major hack, forcing the company to shut down its PlayStation network for three weeks, and potentially exposing the personal information of over 77 million users. Furthermore, in 2014, hackers released a trove of confidential data from Sony Pictures Entertainment, including sensitive employee information, e-mails between employees and copies of the then unreleased film, The Interview.
