Many Reddit users have reported seeing a malicious PS4 message that caused their consoles to crash. The malicious message contains a string of characters which causes the console to crash. In some cases, the console requires a fresh factory reset to work again. If even more users report the issue, there’s little doubt Sony will act quickly to release an update or new system firmware to address the issue.
How to avoid the malicious PS4 message
If the message does pop up on the console, don’t open it. Instead, many Reddit users are saying that if you delete the malicious PS4 message via Sony’s smartphone app for before turning your console on and signing into the PlayStation Network, it should protect your console. The PS4 messaging app for Android and iOS is a free download, so you don’t have to pay anything extra for it.
Until the problem is fixed, it’s also a good idea to avoid playing multiplayer games with unknown opponents or strangers.
You can also restrict your PS4 messaging to friends only. To do that, open your web browser and go here. Sign in with your PS4 account and then go to “Personal Info > Messages.” Select the edit button located near Messages, and that will allow you to set whether anyone can send you messages, friends only, or no one. Until Sony takes care of this issue, it’s the best to choose one of the other two options.
If you want to restrict messages via your PS4 console instead of the web, go to Settings > Account Management > Privacy Settings. From there, choose “Personal Info/Messages” and then choose “Messages.” There you will be able to choose whether anyone, friends only, or no one can send you messages.
Were you affected by the malicious PS4 message? Here’s how to fix it
If you were affected by the malicious PS4 message and your console is not working as it should even after deleting the message, you might want to boot the console in safe mode and build a new database. The database rebuild process shouldn’t affect your data. Here’s what Sony said about it:
“Scans the drive and creates a new database of all content on the system. This operation may take a long time depending on the type and number of data items. This option is useful for cleaning up the data on your PS4 as it reorganises everything on the hard drive. Select this option if you are experiencing issues such as game freezes or frame rate drops.”
If you were affected by the malicious PS4 message, did this solution work for you? Share this article so your friends and family don’t open the message that will wreak havoc on their consoles.
