The new PlayStation 5 update, version 14.20, closes according to a prolific hacker a flaw that would have let users run fake PKG files natively on the console, including pirated games. In the homebrew scene the news is welcomed, because the fix is exactly what was needed to release the exploit.
The hacker is Ark Sama, who has been teasing the technique for almost a year. Today running an unauthorized PKG on a PS5 requires many workarounds, which hurt performance. With the exploit, fake PKGs would run more smoothly. Ark Sama reported the flaw through HackerOne, the platform Sony and many other companies use to pay for vulnerability reports, and has repeatedly said the exploit would be released only after Sony patched it.
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This is not a whim: the disclosure rules agreed with HackerOne, under its "Mutual Agreement" setting, allow vulnerabilities to be made public once fixed. Anyone who has not installed 14.20 will remain exposed once the exploit spreads, while Ark Sama receives the payment foreseen by the programme.
The context is a long match between Sony and the hacker community. After the Relapse jailbreak, which covered versions 7.00 to 13.60, firmware 14.00 had already excluded updated consoles, and 14.10 was in turn bypassed, as AlexTech reported in recent weeks. Days after 14.20 came out, a researcher claimed partial userland access, suggesting the race is not over.
The question is more sensitive ahead of GTA 6, due on November 19: the update arrives weeks before launch, and many observers believe Sony wants to make piracy harder at exactly that moment. Sony described the patch only as an improvement to messages and usability on some screens, without mentioning any vulnerability.
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