Finally, PlayStation has responded to the console-breaking hack that crashed PS4’s by advising the users on avoiding the problematic message.
The news began doing rounds on Reddit where many PlayStation 4 users complained that they received suspicious messages followed by issues with their console. A string of random symbols reportedly came into the inboxes of users. This led to the consoles being frozen, brick and unusable until players reset to factory settings.
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
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However, Ask PlayStation UK Twitter handle stated that a full factory reset isn’t necessary. This was tweeted as a response to a user questioning if Sony was aware of the issue. The support account responded by saying that the issue is being investigated currently.
The instructions can be seen by clicking here and through the link above teaches users how to start a PS4 in Safe Mode. Option 5 is referenced by PlayStation support account to “rebuild the database.”
“Scans the drive and creates a new database of all content,” PlayStation’s support page says about the Safe Mode option. “This operation may take a long time depending on the type and number of data items.”
Some players have already discovered a solution to this, but many have fallen victim to this hack. All users finally have a verified solution from Sony, which will help them lower the worries about getting their consoles tampered. The instruction also shows how to delete the message from the PS App without even opening it. This is yet another strategy employed by some players.
Some reports even state problems faced by users who did not even open the message. One user complained that he was busy with a game until the message popped up in their inbox only to experience issues a while later. To avoid this, users must set their “messaging settings” to private.