3 sources 1h ago
PSN Accounts Reportedly Hijacked As Unauthorized Family Members Appear
The vulnerability reports matter because PlayStation's own support documentation says an added child account cannot be removed by the user, leaving affected accounts dependent on PlayStation Support to undo the damage.
Key Facts
- Reports of unauthorized family members being added to PlayStation Network accounts began around October 6, 2026.
- Some affected PlayStation Network users report the additions occurred despite passwords and two-step verification.
- One example cited by GAME Watch showed six unidentified child members apparently added from overseas on a single account.
- PlayStation's official site states that a family member added as a child cannot be removed from a family.
- Sony Interactive Entertainment had not issued an official statement on the reports as of October 26, 2026.
Reporting from 3 sources: GAME Watch (Impress), Inside, Game Spark.
PlayStation Network users in Japan and overseas are reporting that unknown family members, mostly child accounts, have been added to their accounts without permission. The reports began appearing around October 6, 2026. Some users say the additions happened despite passwords and two-step verification, and several describe receiving emails about sign-in ID or email address changes they did not make. Sony Interactive Entertainment has not issued an official statement on the matter, and the cause remains unclear. GAME Watch published screenshots and an example of one affected account showing six unidentified child members apparently added from overseas. Users are being directed to the family management screen on PS5, reached through Users and Accounts then Family, to check for unknown members. PlayStation's official site states that a family member who has been added as a child cannot be removed from the family, which complicates cleanup for anyone affected.
The reports circulating since early October describe a consistent pattern rather than a single confirmed breach: an account owner finds child accounts they never created listed under family management, often alongside sign-in ID change notifications. Game Spark noted that the damage reports appear both in Japan and abroad, and that HazzadorGamin, an account that posts game news for an overseas audience, reported a compromise on October 9, though whether the same method was used is not established.
The practical remedy offered so far is manual checking. On a PS5, the family management screen sits under Users and Accounts in the settings menu. Anyone who finds an unrecognized member is advised to contact PlayStation Support and to remove stored credit card details. That advice carries weight because the added members could in principle draw on payment information attached to the account.
No official statement has come from Sony Interactive Entertainment as of October 26, so the scope and the mechanism both remain open questions.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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Sources
- GAME Watch (Impress) PSNに新たな脆弱性が発覚か。二段階認証を回避してファミリーメンバーが勝手に追加される被害が発生中
- Inside PSNアカウントに乗っ取り被害か―見知らぬ子供アカウントが勝手に追加されていたとの報告相次ぐ
- Game Spark PSNアカウントに乗っ取り被害か―見知らぬ子供アカウントが勝手に追加されていたとの報告相次ぐ