The introduction of the PSN Passkey by Sony was intended to increase the security of accounts on PlayStation consoles and services. But what was originally seen as a step in the right direction has turned out to be a nightmare for one user. A case that could be a warning signal for long-time PSN members in particular - and an example of an incompetent chatbot.
The PSN Passkeywhich is based on public key cryptography, is a modern authentication method designed to make passwords superfluous. Instead of traditional passwords, the user is authenticated by a security system that is synchronized on several devices. This protects against phishing, password leaks and brute force attacks - a perfect solution at first glance.
PSN passkey turns into a disaster for users
However, this protective mechanism also has its pitfalls, as the Example from a long-time user on Reddit shows. The user had had his account since the early days of the PlayStation Network and had invested thousands of hours in his digital life over the 18 years. But when he recently changed his smartphone, he encountered a problem that ultimately cost him access to his PSN account.
His new smartphone (the most likely option for this method) had not set up the PSN passkey, making it impossible to access the account via the passkey. In the hope of restoring access via the password, the user tried to log in with the help of PSN chatbot support to get the account. However, the response he received was anything but helpful and not very professional in such a matter.
Support asked a series of security questions, including the last four digits of the credit card, the last transactions and the serial number of the first console used. However, the user had long since sold his PS3 and the serial number of his current console was not sufficient to convince support. The response from support was simply that the information provided was not sufficient to restore the account. The user should create a new account. Chat ended! After 18 years, thousands of euros spent and countless hours of game progress, this was a hard blow for him.
Thousands of dollars and hours of play simply gone
What makes this situation particularly frustrating is the fact that the user lost the account despite having extensive knowledge of his account, including email access and all security issues. It was a painful loss for him: "Thousands of dollars spent, thousands of hours, game progress, all just lost and gone forever."
The incident highlights a potential problem that may be associated with the passkey system: If information such as the serial number of the original console is not available, even though the user otherwise has all the relevant data, they are suddenly left without any means of recovering their account. A security measure that was originally intended to protect the account has ultimately turned out to be an unfortunate trap for this user - especially when dealing with a chatbot.
PSN chatbot support is "garbage"
The user describes communication with support as unhelpful. The chatbot in particular, which was responsible for the initial inquiries, is described in the community as "garbage". This seems to be not only a personal opinion of the person concerned, but a widespread feeling among users who have had similar experiences. Many therefore recommend contacting telephone support instead of relying on the automated chatbot, as this usually responds better and more empathetically.
What can be learned from this incident? For PSN users who have built up their account over the years, it is crucial to be aware of the risks associated with the introduction of new security systems such as the passkey. Although these systems may appear to increase security at first glance, they can also lead to unforeseen problems. If you do not set up your passkey correctly or have not stored valid keys on a device, you run the risk of losing access to your account - perhaps forever.
Personal experience
It is ultimately unclear why the user could not really be helped or whether they are at least partly to blame. From my own experience, I can say that there can actually be problems with the passkey and you sit in front of it, terrified that you have been completely locked out. In one case, the PSN servers were completely overloaded at the time and the queries worked neither forwards nor backwards. In another case, I also recently changed my smartphone and had all my data transferred automatically. This also worked perfectly with the PSN passkey.
Nevertheless, this user's story should at least serve as a reminder to back up your accounts well, but also to regularly check that all security measures are set up correctly. I have saved the manual backup codes, for example, in the hope that they will be helpful if the worst comes to the worst. At the same time, I hope that Sony learns from this incident and improves the support process for cases like this. After all, if a long-time user is confronted with such an experience, trust in the entire platform could be shaken.
The user himself draws the following conclusion: "Don't be like me, deactivate your passkey." And it's hard to disagree with him - at least until Sony takes the right steps to prevent such incidents in the future.
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