Utility and security firm Symantec says it has uncovered what it believes to be the first Trojan application for a gaming device, a program which claims to enable users to run their own programs on a Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP), but actually wipes out the machine.
The Trojan, which Symantec has dubbed Trojan.PSPBrick, arrives as an archive file called EXPLOIT 2G PSP Team V1.RAR. When run, the Trojan deletes four critical files in the PSP’s system, which will prevent the PSP from starting up. The Trojan also displays a series of text messages taunting the users. Symantec does not currently offer any information for restoring a PSP system which has been damaged by the Trojan; however, Symantec believes the overall threat represented by the Trojan is low, since only users interesting in running their own software or modifying the PSP. Normal users running commercially-available games and software for the PSP are very unlikely to be affected.
Unlike viruses and worms (which spread between systems on their own, often by exploiting loopholes or errors in already-running programs) Trojans (short for "Trojan horse") are malicious programs which masquerade as something useful, relying on users to download and run them. The Trojan.PSPBrick Trojan cannot spread between PSP systems or other computers on its own.
