Sony rewards hacker for PS5 flaw discovery

Sony has awarded $50,000 to a hacker known as "Jordy" for reporting a security flaw in the PlayStation 5. The vulnerability, found using artificial intelligence, allowed users to execute kernel code, such as running Linux on the console.

Controversy over who discovered the flaw

Another security engineer, Andy Nguyen, also known as theflow0, had discovered the same flaw months earlier. He had planned to keep it secret until the release of GTA 6 and was working on running Linux on the PS5 since March 2024.

Jordy’s AI-driven discovery and theflow0’s response

Jordy admitted to using generative AI to find the bug and claimed theflow0 had discovered it as early as 2025. Theflow0 had initially agreed not to report the flaw, but when another hacker found it using AI, he decided to report it to claim the reward.

Impact on the Linux project and gaming community

Gamers who wanted to run Linux on their PS5 were upset because the flaw could have allowed them to legally play GTA 6 without jailbreaking. However, Sony required users to update their firmware to the latest version to play the game, which would have closed the loophole.

Jordy’s controversial social media post

Jordy faced criticism for a tweet announcing the reward, which included a screenshot of the payment and a comment about buying GTA 6. The post received 1.8 million views, and Jordy defended his actions by citing his family and his sick mother.

Sony’s response and ongoing security concerns

Sony released a new firmware update, which some believe was designed to counter jailbreaking efforts. The homebrew community continues to work on jailbreaks, but Sony quickly releases updates to strengthen security, raising concerns about GTA 6 piracy or availability on PC.

Future of hypervisor flaws on PS5

Jordy claimed this would not be the last hypervisor flaw discovered on the PS5, a view shared by cybersecurity researcher Eric Parker. The situation highlights the ongoing battle between Sony and the homebrew community, with AI increasing the stakes in discovering security flaws.