PlayStation 4 owners encountered a system vulnerability over the weekend, where a message with a particular string of characters could brick your game console, rendering it useless. Many PlayStation 4 owners had to "factory reset" their consoles, which caused them to lose any data not stored in the cloud or elsewhere. Sony said it is aware of the issue and will deploy a fix in a future software update. In the meantime, there are steps you can take to prevent this issue from happening to your PlayStation 4. And if you've already been affected, you can try a potential workaround that seems to preserve all of your games and save data. Over the weekend, PlayStation 4 owners discovered an issue where a certain message with a particular set of symbols, if sent to your game console, could brick the system (Redditors captured what the viral messages look like, in case you're interested). "Rainbow Six: Siege" and "Destiny 2" players encountered this issue when their opponents sent these messages during competitive multiplayer matches, forcing them to lose their games, as well as their consoles. Sony released the following statement in response to the bug: "We are aware of the situation and are planning a system software update to resolve this problem." If this damaging message is sent to your PlayStation 4, you may be unable to use the console unless you perform a fix. Many people have resorted to factory resets, where they lose any data that's not stored in the cloud or elsewhere, but Sony confirms there is a way to fix your PlayStation 4 without losing any of your save data. How to prevent the issue from happening to you There's an easy way to make sure this bug doesn't reach your PlayStation 4: all you need to do is set your messages to "private." Just visit Settings > Account Management > Privacy Settings > Personal Info and Messaging, and set Messages to either "Friends" or "No One." Until Sony releases a software fix, this is the best way to ensure you don't have to deal with a major headache. How to fix your PlayStation 4 if you received the message Thankfully, some Reddit users found there's a relatively simple way to fix your PlayStation 4 if you received the viral message, without needing to perform a factory reset. Sony's PlayStation Spain account confirmed on Twitter that this will indeed help resolve the issue. First, you'll need to delete the message. The best way to do that is through the PS Messages app for your phone, or visit my.playstation.com to view and delete the message. You want to click the option "Leave Group" here. Once you've successfully deleted the message, you need to reboot your PlayStation 4 in safe mode. Power down your console, then hold the power button for seven seconds. You should hear a beep, and see the safe mode menu. Finally, in safe mode, choose the "Rebuild Database." If you did it right, your PlayStation 4 should restart correctly and you should have access to all of your games and save data.<doc-sep>Here's the troublesome message, courtesy of Reddit user Huntstark. Over the past few days, several PlayStation users have been reporting a malicious console-crashing attack sent via console message. Players claimed a specific character combination had "bricked" their consoles, forced them to factory reset their PlayStations, and that "even deleting the message from the mobile app" didn't protect them. The only known way for players to protect themselves was by setting their messages to private. PlayStation has now publicly acknowledged the problem, in a tweet sent from the British support account - which claims the issue can be solved in under five minutes. According to the tweet, the exploit does not actually brick consoles, but was instead "sending them into a crash loop". Some players appeared to be on the right lines by hoping to delete the message via the PS mobile app - but to fully stop the message players should also "go into Safe Mode" and then "use Option 5" (that's "Rebuild Database") to get their consoles back to normal. We've since fixed the issue, and it wasn't bricking consoles, just sending them into a crash loop that can be quickly fixed in under 5 minutes. Delete the message on the PS mobile app, go into Safe Mode, use Option 5, console back to normal. ^DB — Ask PlayStation UK (@AskPS_UK) October 15, 2018 This content is hosted on an external platform, which will only display it if you accept targeting cookies. Please enable cookies to view. Manage cookie settings Sony is yet to make a full statement on the message hack issue, and this tweet is the closest we've gotten to an explanation. Eurogamer has contacted Sony for comment and will update this story when we hear more. Until then, it may be prudent to set your PlayStation messages to private - and should you be sent the message, follow the instructions in Sony's tweet.<doc-sep>PlayStation 4 users are saying a text-message exploit is bricking their consoles, requiring a factory reset to get the unit working again. Though numerous users have said they’ve been hit, the attack isn’t officially confirmed and Sony hasn’t given any kind of comment. To be on the safe side, users are suggesting that others change their message receipt settings so that only friends (or, more drastically, no one at all) can send them messages. As I’ve had friend-only messaging enabled for a while, I can’t tell if this threat/exploit is legitimate, or if this is the way to thwart it. Numerous users in the PS4 subreddit say they’ve been hit, though, and many describe the same effects. The message attack appears to be similar to others seen in mobile platforms, where a message containing a string of characters (or a specific one) can shut down the hardware. To be on the safe side, users can manage their messages and messaging preferences from a web browser or the PlayStation smartphone app (Android and iOS). These methods are thought the be the best way to avoid opening or triggering the exploit and crashing the system. Otherwise, users may go into the account management options from the console itself. That is found in the Settings option on the XMB, then the Account Management tab, and then Privacy Settings. The option to change is under Personal Info/Messages and users should set that to friends only or no one. In this thread, currently atop the PS4 subreddit, a PS4 owner says someone used the attack to brick everyone on his team (except the one player who had their message settings on private). In a screenshot provided by the user, a question mark in a square is shown in the message text, suggesting this is a character or a string the system can’t handle. Meantime, we have reached out to Sony for the customary comment. Several other news outlets have picked up and reported on the threat. But being the weekend, it’s possible we don’t hear anything back until tomorrow, or after a firmware patch is rolled out.<doc-sep>Over the weekend, PlayStation 4 users reported receiving messages on their consoles that would brick their system. The text message exploit, like viruses sent over email or social media, corrupts the system when opened. A PS4 owner posted on Reddit claiming a dummy account sent a message to everyone on their Rainbow Six: Siege team. All participants were affected, except one member who had messages set to private. Everyone hit with the exploit had to factory reset their PS4s. If you're concerned about the exploit, follow these instructions: Manage message and messaging preferences using a web browser or the PlayStation app on iOS and Android. If you want to use the console itself, go to Settings > Account Management > Privacy Settings. Set Personal Info and Messages to "friends only" or "no one" The Ask PS4 U.K. account on Twitter also suggested these steps for deleting the possible message from the console. Hello! We are aware and investigating, but it doesn't reset your console to factory settings. All you need to do is delete the message via the PS messaging app, and use Option 5 in Safe Mode to sort your console out. Instructions: https://t.co/vecpA6wnaQ ^DB — Ask PlayStation UK (@AskPS_UK) October 15, 2018 PlayStation has yet to officially acknowledge the hack. Newsweek has reached out for comment and will update as necessary. You can head over to the official site for more tips on how to keep your PS4 safe, here. Have you encountered this new exploit on PS4? If you have what have you done to fix it? Let us know in the comments section below.<doc-sep>
Sarah Tew/CNET Some Sony PlayStation 4 players are reporting they're getting messages that are bricking their consoles, forcing them to resort to factory reset. Gamers set up several threads on the PS4 subreddit over the weekend outlining the glitch, which was linked to a specific string of characters -- like the text that once crashed people's iPhones. Some reported that the messages caused their consoles to crash when opened, while others said the message notification popping up on the screen was enough to cause the problem. Sony acknowledged the issue Tuesday in an email to video game news blog VG24/7 and noted that it's working on a fix. "We are aware of the situation and are planning a system software update to resolve this problem," Sony told the site in an email. @AskPS_UK, an official PlayStation account on Twitter, offered further clarity and a solution. "We've since fixed the issue, and it wasn't bricking consoles, just sending them into a crash loop that can be quickly fixed in under 5 minutes," @AskPS_UK tweeted, before outlining a fix. We've since fixed the issue, and it wasn't bricking consoles, just sending them into a crash loop that can be quickly fixed in under 5 minutes. Delete the message on the PS mobile app, go into Safe Mode, use Option 5, console back to normal. ^DB — Ask PlayStation UK (@AskPS_UK) October 15, 2018 Those impacted can use the PS Messages app, which is available on iOS and Android, or the My PlayStation site to access and delete the message, then boot the console in safe mode and rebuild the database. Sony didn't immediately respond to a request for further comment. Now playing: Watch this: Unboxing the PS4 Pro 500M Edition One player said team members got the malicious message while playing Rainbow Six: Siege. "A player from the other team used a dummy account to send the message and crashed my entire team," Redditor Huntstark wrote in a post Saturday. "We all have had to factory reset." People who've been hit by the glitch say that the message remains on the console and resets it each time they try to turn it on, so they've used a factory reset to wipe it. However, this also deletes all the games and saves on the console. The approach suggested by Ask PlayStation UK would prevent that. As a precaution, PS4 gamers can set their messages to private by going to the console's Account Management menu, then Privacy Settings and Personal Info, where they can change their message settings to Friends Only or No One. First published at on Oct. 15 at 6:47 a.m. PT. Update on Oct. 16 at 5:25 a.m. PT: Adds Ask PlayStation UK tweet and solution. Taking It to Extremes: Mix insane situations -- erupting volcanoes, nuclear meltdowns, 30-foot waves -- with everyday tech. Here's what happens. Fight the Power: Take a look at who's transforming the way we think about energy.