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Did you know that PSN allows Authenticator Apps For Its Two-Factor Authentication?

super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,149
I've used 2FA on my PSN account for years, but when it was first made available, it was only through your phone number. However, 2FA via phone is not all that secure and authenticator apps are a much better option. I had not used my PSN account for a few years since I switched to playing games on PC, so I have not logged into PSN for a while now, and never even heard the news that authenticator apps could now be used.

Thanks to this thread, I learned that I could now use my authenticator app (Authy, which I use for all my accounts that offer 2FA) with my PSN account! I've now switched over and if you have not done so or were not aware of this, I recommend you switch over too!

See here for enabling 2FA for PSN with an authenticator app:

www.playstation.com

Two step verification - PSN | PlayStation

Explore 2-step verification details and how to setup it up to help protect your account on PlayStation Network with an extra layer of security.
www.playstation.com www.playstation.com

My recommended authenticator app of choice is Authy. Unlike Google Authenticator, it offers cloud backups and has a desktop app. Authy can be used wherever Google Authenticator can be used, even with your Google Account itself!

authy.com

Authy | Two-factor Authentication (2FA) App & Guides

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an additional layer of protection beyond passwords. Download our free app today and follow our easy to use guides to protect your accounts and personal information.
authy.com authy.com


Also, if you want to be even more secure (and not just with PSN but with all your accounts), use Authy in conjunction with a password manager like Bitwarden or 1password!

bitwarden.com

The password manager trusted by millions | Bitwarden

Bitwarden makes it easy for businesses and individuals to securely generate, store, and share passwords from any location, browser, or device. Create your free Bitwarden account today.
bitwarden.com bitwarden.com

1password.com

Password Manager for Families, Enterprise & Business | 1Password

A password manager, digital vault, form filler, and secure digital wallet. Manage everything in one secure place – 1Password remembers all your passwords and sensitive information, so you don’t have to.
1password.com 1password.com
 
KINGofCRA5H

KINGofCRA5H

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,076
Napa, CA
I too just switched because of that thread. Would have done it a long time ago had I known. Changed my password for the hell of it too.
 
reclaimerzzzzz

reclaimerzzzzz

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,136
I also recommend Microsoft Authenticator, offers cloud backups and just more flexible than Google Authenticator in general, not sure why Google hasn't updated this.
 
OP
OP
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,149
Does anyone know when Sony began to allow autheticator apps to be used? I don't think I've ever seen a thread on Era about it, or seen it talked about anywhere online.
 
Cjdamon042

Cjdamon042

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,321
Edinburgh
Yeah I just moved it over to Authy thanks to that thread as well. It was the only place I still had using SMS since I didn't realise they started allowing apps either. I actually just moved everything over from Google Authenticator to Authy just now too since I didn't realise it wasn't the best in terms of backups and whatnot.

Authy picking this as ResetEra's logo is getting to me somewhat though lol
reset_era_wolfenstein.png
 
Silver-Streak

Silver-Streak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,007
As a heads up/update to the OP, Bitwarden supports TFA tokens directly as well (although it may or may not be on their $10/year tier, I don't remember.)
 
Orion117

Orion117

Prophet of Regret - A King's Landing
Member
Dec 8, 2018
3,917
Any easy way to transfer from Google to another 2FA app or do i need to setup all the accounts again?
 
OP
OP
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,149
reclaimerzzzzz said:
July 2020.
www.resetera.com

Two-step verification with authenticator apps is finally being added for PSN on the next PS4 FW

www.resetera.com www.resetera.com
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Thanks! I had never seen that thread before.

Orion117 said:
Any easy way to transfer from Google to another 2FA app or do i need to setup all the accounts again?
Click to expand...
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For every account using Google Authenticator, you'd need to disable 2FA, then re-enable it again, this time with Authy. If you have dozens of accounts, then it could take a while.
 
Kraid

Kraid

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,246
Cuck Zone
Carn said:
It's only 'easy' if you still have the old device, you can transfer all the codes with just a single scan iirc. But yeah, if that device is lost or already wiped: godspeed.
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You can backup your account, and re-download from the cloud. I need it for work, so I did that just in October.

Edit: Oh, you weren't talking about Microsoft Authenticator lol. Disregard!
 
Orion117

Orion117

Prophet of Regret - A King's Landing
Member
Dec 8, 2018
3,917
super-famicom said:
Thanks! I had never seen that thread before.



For every account using Google Authenticator, you'd need to disable 2FA, then re-enable it again, this time with Authy. If you have dozens of accounts, then it could take a while.
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Damn it, thats what i feared. I had a scare recently where my phone wouldn't start for a few hours and I was dreading losing access to all my accounts. I should get on migrating them soon.
 
OP
OP
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,149
Orion117 said:
Damn it, thats what i feared. I had a scare recently where my phone wouldn't start for a few hours and I was dreading losing access to all my accounts. I should get on migrating them soon.
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In a previous thread about 2FA and Authy, someone on here had dozens if not hundreds of accounts. They ended up switching maybe 10 or so accounts a day for a while instead of doing it all at once. They said it was less stressful that day.
 
AndyD

AndyD

Mambo Number PS5
Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,602
Nashville
Slayven said:
It's shit. the MS one is great. And if some reason you need to switch phones or reinstall it, it isn't a pain in the ass to get it back up in running
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Yea, MS one is great. Switched my stuff over from the Google one.

Only thing I wish they would add is notes to each code. A short notes section.
 
Incite

Incite

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,407
I'm trying to change it from an old number (that I have access to) but I don't see how I can change over to Authy.

Just downloaded Authy, verified it through my current number, signed into 2fa on my PlayStation account.....aaaand no idea how to change it over
 
RubberStamp

RubberStamp

Member
Oct 27, 2017
444
1password has two factor authentication built in which is extremely easy to use. So does Bitwarden.

For android users, I recommend Aegis authenticator. Open source, has the ability to export codes and has encrypted backups + an amazing UI.

play.google.com

Aegis Authenticator - 2FA App - Apps on Google Play

A secure 2-step authenticator to manage your one-time passwords
play.google.com play.google.com
 
Carn

Carn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,911
The Netherlands
Incite said:
I'm trying to change it from a text message to an old number (that I have access to) but I don't see how I can change over to Authy.

Just downloaded Authy, verified it through my current number, signed into 2fa on my PlayStation account.....aaaand no idea how to change it over
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you have to disable 2FA first and re-enable it. You'll be able to choose between SMS or App.
 
OP
OP
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,149
Incite said:
I'm trying to change it from a text message to an old number (that I have access to) but I don't see how I can change over to Authy.

Just downloaded Authy, verified it through my current number, signed into 2fa on my PlayStation account.....aaaand no idea how to change it over
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I signed into PSN on PC, disabled 2FA, then re-enabled it and chose the authenticator app option.
 

Deleted member 34949

Account closed at user request
Banned
Nov 30, 2017
19,101
Oh, I use Google Authenticator with my Nintendo Account already, may as well switch from SMS to that for PSN. Thanks for the heads up!
 
internet rabbit

internet rabbit

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,610
Los Angeles
apps like 1Password also do 2FA and even automatically insert the 2FA code (or copy it to the clipboard) on browsers and mobile! you should also be hashing your passwords but when entering it on a console that is usually a nightmare - every time i log into a new Xbox or Windows 10 virtual machine i end up having to type a long randomized password
 
Darknight

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,798
Seven Force said:
Oh, I use Google Authenticator with my Nintendo Account already, may as well switch from SMS to that for PSN. Thanks for the heads up!
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Switch away from Google Authenticator. Use something like Authy instead. If something happens to your phone, recovering with Google Authenticator can be a pain in the ass.
 
MykonosFan

MykonosFan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
843
internet rabbit said:
apps like 1Password also do 2FA and even automatically insert the 2FA code (or copy it to the clipboard) on browsers and mobile! you should also be hashing your passwords but when entering it on a console that is usually a nightmare - every time i log into a new Xbox or Windows 10 virtual machine i end up having to type a long randomized password
Click to expand...
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Mentioned it in the other thread, but I'll toss out again that it's safer to keep the 2FA separate from password managers. If you use your client's built-in 2FA and someone gets into your password manager then they have everything, not just passwords. Separate that out, use double-blind passwords and one gets into a much safer position.

This assumes the unlikely incident that someone gets into a password manager, granted, but thankfully it's not too difficult to swap over to Authy to grab a code for the peace of mind.
 
OP
OP
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,149
Bishop89 said:
I have google auth, but found it to be finicky sometimes when trying to login.

Is authy better?
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Authy has multi-device support, desktop app, cloud baackups. Google Authenticator has none of these features.
authy.com

Authy vs. Google Authenticator - Authy

With every breach, every hack, every lost or stolen phone, online users have a similar thought: “I hope my private data didn’t just leak into the vast and very dark internet.” There’s a good reason to fear: once your personal data is out there, it’s out there for good. That’s why online security...
authy.com authy.com
 
RubberStamp

RubberStamp

Member
Oct 27, 2017
444
MykonosFan said:
Mentioned it in the other thread, but I'll toss out again that it's safer to keep the 2FA separate from password managers. If you use your client's built-in 2FA and someone gets into your password manager then they have everything, not just passwords. Separate that out, use double-blind passwords and one gets into a much safer position.

This assumes the unlikely incident that someone gets into a password manager, granted, but thankfully it's not too difficult to swap over to Authy to grab a code for the peace of mind.
Click to expand...
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One can use 2fa for their password manager and store that in a different app to be safe. Even better would be to have a hardware 2fa solution for the password manager.
Even with the codes being stored in the password manager, that'll still provide the same amount of security from password leaks from any website. At the end of the day, the chances of a website being hacked are a lot higher than something like bitwardin, 1passowrd, lastpass leaking master passwords.
 
internet rabbit

internet rabbit

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,610
Los Angeles
MykonosFan said:
Mentioned it in the other thread, but I'll toss out again that it's safer to keep the 2FA separate from password managers. If you use your client's built-in 2FA and someone gets into your password manager then they have everything, not just passwords. Separate that out, use double-blind passwords and one gets into a much safer position.

This assumes the unlikely incident that someone gets into a password manager, granted, but thankfully it's not too difficult to swap over to Authy to grab a code for the peace of mind.
Click to expand...
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good idea! also use yubikeys or similar hardware etc where you can
 
Ronnie Poncho

Ronnie Poncho

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
2,131
internet rabbit said:
apps like 1Password also do 2FA and even automatically insert the 2FA code (or copy it to the clipboard) on browsers and mobile! you should also be hashing your passwords but when entering it on a console that is usually a nightmare - every time i log into a new Xbox or Windows 10 virtual machine i end up having to type a long randomized password
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

If it helps, Xbox lets you log into your console via entering a code on your browser, so 1password can do the heavy lifting there. (Unfortunately not the same for win10 afaik)

I think ps5 lets you do the same with the PS app.
 

Deleted member 34949

Account closed at user request
Banned
Nov 30, 2017
19,101
Okay, actual question: I still use my PS3 to occasionally download PS1/PS2 classics, I am assed out if I want to sign in to PSN on PS3 now since it seemingly only supports SMS 2FA?
 
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