Security software experts identified a malicious program targeting Sony Playstation Portable systems that marks the first so-called Trojan found in video game devices, Symantec Corp. said Thursday.
The world's biggest security software maker said the Trojan represented a low-level threat, only affecting machines users have modified with their own code. A Trojan is a destructive program that masquerades as a harmless application.
"It does not affect the average user," said Eric Chien, a principle software engineer at Symantec. "This is the first time we have seen a Trojan on a gaming device."
He explained the Trojan says it is a file named "EXPLOIT 2G PSP Team V1.RAR" that allows users to run their own code on the Sony devices, but in fact destroys the machine.
Symantec researchers identified the Trojan when monitoring online chat-rooms used by the gaming community. Chien said the discovery is evidence hackers are expanding their targets.
"It goes to show malicious code writers aren't just targeting personal computers and aren't just trying to get some replicating code to infect the machines," Chien said "Anything that can run code is potentially being targeted."
