After years of requests from its users, and two years after competitor Microsoft, Sony has finally confirmed that it is working on adding two-factor authentication to its PlayStation Network accounts.

Two-factor authentication is a safe-guard measurement that has long been used by companies such as BlizzardGoogleValve, Microsoft and a host of other technology and service based companies. It  is a great way to keep unauthorised users from gaining access to personal accounts, even after they have already managed to get passed the simple password and username requirements.

Two-factor authentication is essentially a process that requires users to enter two different “factors” when logging into an account or service. The first factor is often “something you know” (existing login details) whereas the second factor is another piece of information that has been securely generated by “something you have”; usually this comes in the form of a mobile app, like Google’s Authenticatorthat generates a unique six-digit code or a unique key received in a text message.

Two-step verification is therefore much more secure than using only a username and a password. It means that anyone with malicious intent would also need your phone or dedicated key fob — a device that is generally always in your possession — in order to access any account that is secured with two-factor authentication.

Although Sony has not given a time frame for when this security measure will be implemented, it is good to know that they are working on it. It will go a long way to help prevent, for example, a repeat of the serious attacks and hacks that Sony’s servers experienced five years ago, which resulted in 23-days of downtime and copious amounts of leaked personal information from millions of users.

[Source: Polygon]

Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.