Are you an avid PS4 gamer? If so, you might be interested in a recent exploit that happened recently. This attack essentially meant that anyone who set their privacy status to allow all messages could fall victim to a message-based attack. Once the user receives and opens the message, the console locks up and enters a boot loop. Many users would then resort to restoring their consoles to factory default settings in an effort to bring it back to its former glory.
ContentsHow it workedHow to fix itAre PlayStation 4 viruses possible?For gamersWhat makes this attack so scary is how easy it is to pull off. People started getting messages that just said "Juegas ❤️" with an unsupported character. The wandering character caused a parsing issue and threw the PlayStation 4 into a crash loop. The affected user could no longer use their PlayStation 4 unless they dive into advanced system settings and refresh the console.
Once all of this is done, scroll down to the option that reads “rebuild database” and select it. This will then resolve the issues caused by the attack. The waiting time varies from user to user – some report that it takes a while, while others claim that it passes quickly. Once done, you should be able to reboot without issue.
With this recent attack causing great fear in the PS4 community, it begs the question:while this particular attack was simply a parsing issue in a message, could this demonstrate that PlayStations can pick up viruses?
The answer to this question is basically yes and no. Yes, PlayStation 4s could theoretically have a virus developed for it. However, virus developers need two things to incentivize them to develop a virus:a large audience and a benefit for the developer. PS4s are plentiful but not as plentiful as PCs. They also do not have much benefit for the developer unlike infecting PCs with ransomware. As a result, it's impossible for a malware developer to spend resources on PS4s when there are plenty more fish to fry!
With the PlayStation 4 attacked by a malicious message, some users have put their PS4 into a boot cycle. Now you know how the attack worked and how to fix it if you were hit.
For PS4 players, were you affected by this attack? Tell us your stories below!
