PlayStation 4 News: TheFlow reports that a dongle jailbreak could not be made with a recent vulnerability found in FreeBSD due to Sony implementing their own HID descriptor – No updates on upcoming FW 6.20 hack
Any news regarding hacks on a PlayStation 4 firmware higher than 5.05 (or 5.07) is undoubtedly welcome but this time around, TheFlow has a bit of bad news on the subject as a chance for a potential jailbreak has been lost. In this article, we’ll be looking at what TheFlow’s news is about and how it may potentially affect future PS4 jailbreaks.
TheFlow finds a vulnerability which could’ve been used for a dongle-based PS4 jailbreak…. if Sony hadn’t used their own HID descriptor parser
For those out of the loop, TheFlow is a veteran in the PlayStation Vita scene having released software hacking solutions for FW 3.65-3.73 and in March, he stated that he was working on a hack for PlayStation 4 consoles running FW 6.20.
Despite TheFlow finding a bug in FreeBSD which could’ve led to a jailbreak, Sony had made it irrelevant
Yesterday, he tweeted out that he’d reported a vulnerability that affects OpenBSD and FreeBSD, upon which the PlayStation 4 firmware is based, having to do with malicious USB HID devices which could give out-of-bounds R/W access on the kernel heap.
Through this vulnerability, TheFlow stated that a dongle-based jailbreak could have been created for the PlayStation 4 and considering that it was only reported this week, all PlayStation 4 firmwares to date would have been vulnerable. However, this turned out NOT to be the case since Sony implemented their own HID (human interface device – these include peripherals like keyboards and mice) descriptor parser on the PlayStation 4 which is not vulnerable to bug that TheFlow found thus eliminating the possibility of a dongle-based jailbreak being released for the PS4 making use of it.
Does this affect the FW 6.20 jailbreak that TheFlow was working on?
TheFlow managed to hack FW 3.65-3.73 on the PSVita which helped make its homebrew scene more relevant so his dedication isn’t to be questioned!
As things stand, TheFlow has not divulged any information on whether the vulnerability he just reported affects his work regarding a Firmware 6.20 jailbreak despite some in the community thinking so. It is possible that the vulnerability was being considered as a potential entry point for hacking the PlayStation 4 but no information has been shared on this so for now, it is not possible to say whether this development affects the possibility of a FW 6.20 jailbreak.
However, the fact that TheFlow tested the vulnerability on the PlayStation 4 shows that he is still researching ways to exploit the console which means that eventually, we may see a hack for a firmware higher than FW 5.05 as TheFlow is known to have delivered in the past!
Conclusion
As usual, to follow the latest updates on what TheFlow is up to, it is advised to follow his Twitter profile linked below and till he confirms that a potential FW 6.20 jailbreak by him is out of the question, there is still hope!
TheFlow’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/theflow0
Thanks Aurora, this is very useful news.
I think theflow0 was hired by sony after anouncing his upcoming 6.20 exploit. I think theflow was hired or got paid by sony to not release his 6.20 exploit. So probably, we wont be seeing any 6.2 exploit from him that would enable piracty. To play it safe, he made a this writeup that it wont no longer possible without mentioning the 6.20 exploit. I hope I am wrong.
You are wrong since when Geohot hacked PS3 they sued him even there was a jailbreak dongle already out – my PS4 5.05 is just collecting dust…
They were not hired by $ony, $ony doesn’t hire hackers that live in there parents basement. They hire outgoing hard working individuals, not people that love to break systems. Geohot did get work with some firm, but the big corps won’t touch him… he can’t be trusted with privileged information.
the last of us part II is coming plz guy do something , i really need to play this game, i can not efford another ps4 in my country ( iran) every thing is to f**king expensive .
Gaming is a luxury. If you can’t afford it then you probably shouldn’t be wasting your time with games.
While I agree with the sentiment, sometimes you have to empathize with people using it to escape (as it was originally created to do). Though I don’t condone piracy, looking at things from a perspective of someone who’s life is in turmoil I’d say it’s better than an alternative venue for venting their frustration. Say maybe drugs, to which I lost a few family members to, or fans which I lost an uncle to.
Seeing they are from Iran if you look at the current situation there I can understand why they need the escape.
The guy that wrote this article is just parroting what he reads on other sites. Aurora is not a hacker. He is a re-poster at best. I agree gaming is a luxury, if you can’t afford it then you need a job.
Agreed sir!
How much does a used PS4 go for in Teheran?
sony u s**k uggly slunteyes
couldn’t f.u..c.k.i.n’ agree more! Sony can go s.u.c.k a c.o.c.k
Because of piracy or because of high speculation, the same debates existed before the release of platforms like Spotify or Netflix. Time to time and also the way we play games will change.
yeah soon we will be playing games in our sleep
Personally, I doubt thefl0w has anything at this point.
the flow is not good enough for this job, vita only :)))
or he get some bucks for shut up 😉