Update: PlayStation UK has said this security flaw has been fixed and has offered instructions to users impacted by it.
“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,” PlayStation UK advised via Twitter.
“Delete the message on the PS mobile app, go into Safe Mode, use Option 5, console back to normal.”
Meanwhile, PlayStation Australia has also commented on the issue, saying the fix hasn’t been rolled out yet but is on the way.
“PlayStation Customer Support is advising users who are experiencing these problem to remove the message thread via Web browser or PS App and to rebuild the database in safe mode on PS4,” a PlayStation Australia representative told Stevivor. “However, there may be cases where this procedure does not solve all the issues, and therefore we are planning a system software update to resolve the problem.”
Best keep your messaging to private until we get a definitive word back.
Original story: PS4 messages can allegedly brick your console, a new report suggests.
“There is a new glitch that basically bricks your console and forces you to factory reset it. Even deleting the message from the mobile app doesn’t work. It happened to me during Rainbow Six: Siege,” Redditor Huntstark wrote.
“A player from the other team used a dummy account to send the message and crashed my entire team. We all have had to factory reset. Only one of our guys wasn’t affected and he has his messages private.”
Sony has yet to comment on the situation, but there are ways to protect yourself from this alleged security flaw in the meantime.
- You can set your PS4 messages to private by going to Settings > Account Management > Privacy Settings > Enter your password > Personal Info > Messaging and either selecting Friends or No One.
- The message hack only seems to impact those who open the suspect messages on their console, so you can use a web browser or the PlayStation App on iOS or Android to open messages in the interim.
We’ll report back as more is known.
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