Hackers Crack PS5, Activate Debug Mode; Jailbreak A Possibility

A hacking group claimed to have achieved the first significant breakthrough in the process required to jailbreak Sony's new generation gaming console PS5. With the device supposedly cracked by the team, its debug mode can now be enabled.

Andy Nguyen, known in the community as The Flow, announced on Twitter Monday that he has cracked the console's firmware and has enabled the Debug Mode. If the PS5 has been jailbroken, it could run unlicensed .pkg files to be installed.

With the root keys now available, users could try to reverse-engineer the PS5's software to allow exploits' installation. Also, they could enable unsigned and unauthorized code to run on the console's system.

For instance, gamers can install mod menus, multiple emulators and even cheat engines on the jailbroken gaming console. Nguyen is known in the community for his work as a white-hat hacker.

He had helped Sony identify vulnerabilities and contributed to the console's preservation. The Flow also developed multiple high-profile homebrew resources, including the PSP emulator called Adrenaline, h-encore and Trinity.

Unfortunately, Nguyen said he has no plans to reveal how he cracked the PS5's firmware and has most likely informed Sony of the security breach. Meanwhile, the same feat was reportedly achieved by the group known as fail0verflow, which was also the first group to bypass the security measures of PlayStation 3 in 2010.

"Another one bites the dust," the group tweeted Monday with a screenshot that looks to show root keys of the PS5. "Translation – we got all (symmetric) PS5 root keys. They can all be obtained from software – including per-console root key, if you look hard enough," the group confirmed in a follow-up tweet.

The group also said Sony might find it hard to reverse what they have achieved even with a system update. It is worth noting that while these steps are significant, they do not mean that the PS5 has been totally broken open.

Sony has not yet commented on the claim, but it is likely to take urgent actions to fix the leaks.

Also, a reminder for users not familiar with the jailbreak process -- never attempt to do it by yourself if you do not want to brick your PS5.