Prominent PlayStation content creator and former IGN editor Colin Moriarty has claimed that his PlayStation Network account was hacked despite using two-factor authentication, while Sony support reportedly told him the recovery process could take up to three weeks.
Moriarty shared details of the incident in multiple posts on X, alleging that the attack may be part of a broader wave targeting both random and high-profile PlayStation users.
“My PSN account was hacked, seemingly as part of an ongoing sophisticated series of moves against both random and ‘prominent’ users,” Moriarty wrote.
According to him, another affected individual had warned him days earlier that he, too, could become a target.
Moriarty stressed that the compromise did not involve phishing or accidental credential exposure. “I wasn’t phished, didn’t click on any links, didn’t randomly put my password somewhere,” he stated, adding that he was “completely positive” of this.
He also claimed that shortly before losing access to the account, his email inbox was flooded with hundreds of spam messages from various sources, potentially as part of an attempt to conceal account-related notifications.
In another post, Moriarty suggested that the attack may involve insider access or deeper account vulnerabilities, claiming that a message was sent from his compromised PSN account, targeting another individual connected to him, despite the use of passwords and two-factor authentication.
Moriarty later detailed his efforts to recover the account, stating that he contacted PlayStation support directly before reaching out to industry contacts and friends within Sony-owned studios for assistance.
According to Moriarty, Sony support informed him that it could take up to three weeks before the company could provide further answers regarding the account recovery process.
“They told me it will take three weeks for them to get to have any answers, which seems insane,” Moriarty wrote. He added that Sony had removed his saved payment information from the account but allegedly could not immediately reset the account credentials or fully remove the unauthorized access.
The incident has reignited concerns surrounding PSN account security, particularly as similar cases have reportedly surfaced in recent months. French journalist Nicolas Lellouche had previously discussed experiencing a comparable account compromise despite using two-factor authentication.
Sony has not publicly commented on Moriarty’s claims at the time of writing.
The situation has also led to renewed discussion around account security methods. While two-factor authentication remains widely used, Sony already supports passkeys as an alternative login method for PlayStation Network accounts. Passkeys are generally considered more resistant to phishing attacks and credential theft compared to traditional password-based authentication systems.
