Hackers show jailbreak for PlayStation 4 with September firmware

Hackers have found a kernel exploit in PlayStation 4 firmware version 9.00, which makes it possible to jailbreak this version. It also seems that the exploit is also possible on the PlayStation 5.

The so-called pOOBs4 jailbreak has been posted on GitHub and the operation has been tested by several Twitter users confirmed† Firmware version 9.00 was released in September and is therefore a recent firmware version. There were previously jailbreaks for the PS4, but the jailbroken firmware was always at least a year behind the most recent version. Sony has now also released firmware 9.03 for the console and the jailbreak does not work on it.

The bug was found in the console’s file system. According to the GitHub instructions, an img file must be placed on the PlayStation via the USB port, after which a payload must be activated via the browser. Jailbreaking the PS4 makes it possible, among other things, to run homebrew apps on the PlayStation 4 and to install illegal copies of games on it.

In fact, the new jailbreak can do nothing more than the jailbreaks on the older firmware versions, but since the new exploit works on a recent firmware version, it is accessible to many more PS4 users.

One of the hackers also reported that the kernel exploit should also work on the PlayStation 5, without having tested it myself. Various other hackers then confirm on Twitter that the vulnerability works on the PlayStation 5, but that there is currently nothing to do with it due to the lack of payloads for that console. It is unknown which PS5 firmware versions the bug works on.

Only when hackers manage to port the payloads to the PS5 does it become clear whether the console can actually run unauthorized software. If confirmed, this will be the first time the PlayStation 5 can do that. Earlier, the root keys of the console were already discovered, which made it clear that this is theoretically possible.