The PS5 scene is already ramping up
The PS5 has been officially out for a few days only, and a lot of people have been having a hard time getting their hands on one due to limited inventory across retailers.
But the hacking scene is already looking into ways to hack the PS5.
So far of course nothing groundbreaking has been revealed or released, but here’s a pretty good summary of what has been happening since the PS5 launched.

PS5 GPU – Photo courtesy of PS5 Dev Wiki
PS5 Hacking – What we know so far
The PS5 DevWiki is already up and running, maintained by scene Veteran GregoryRasputin and other helping hands. It gives (minimal for now) details for example on the PUP format, or high resolution pictures of the motherboard and its components.
Of course not much is publicly known about the PS5’s internals and potential vulnerabilities yet. However a few details have started to emerge from the scene.
PS5 Updatelist and PS5 Firmware 2.25
We know that the updatelist XML format is basically the same as that of the PS4. People looking for regular updates on the latest PS5 Firmware can follow SilicaAndPina‘s PS5 Firmware Bot on twitter. For the time being, SilicaandPina is hosting the various firmware updates here.
Firmware 2.25 of the PS5 was just released a couple days ago, and, of course, if you ever want to hack your PS5, we advise not to update. The easiest (but definitely not the cheapest) way to do that is to have 2 PS5s, one for actual gaming, and one that you’ll keep on a shelf, untouched, until a hack is released.
PS5 Browser, and Open Source entry points
Although the PS5 Documentation states it does not have a browser, there is an “internal” web browser available for apps, which is used for example by the help guide on the console. It is reasonably easy to bypass the urls with a proxy (example: https://github.com/KuromeSan/PS5Prxy/releases, but it’s likely any proxy will do as long as you replace manuals.playstation.net with the url of your choice) to display any page requested. In the current firmware, it is apparently even possible to bypass https.
Of course, one reason hackers are looking into the web browser on the console is that it is historically a good entry point for potential vulnerabilities (by loading a malicious webpage). For this reason, hackers are also typically digging into the list of open source software that the PS5 uses (official list here), as it is possible to dig into those dependencies for vulnerabilities, without having to go through reverse engineering first. At the moment, Sony have disclosed that the PS5 uses Webkit, Cairo, Eigen, and FFMpeg.
However webkit has grown pretty secure over time, and a few hackers have called out that looking for vulnerabilities in Webkit is much more time consuming and fruitless than it used to be. It is likely the first entry point to crack the PS5 open will be a hardware vulnerability, that will not be immediately disclosed.
Other PS5 Hacking Tools and findings
- Long Time scene developer skfu has released a series of basic tools for the PS5, at https://github.com/SKFU/ps5tools. For now, these tools can help analyze and extract files in the following formats: CNT, FIH, SLB2.
Very bare skeleton for now, feel free to contributehttps://t.co/4H9Wzxoo26
— SKFU (@SKFU__) November 6, 2020
- Blsunpack still handles PS5 PUP files, according to its dev Zecoxao.
- Developer psxdev has started looking into PS5 Camera internals, and has provided details on the PS4 Camera Adapter for PS5.
- Developer Kiwidog is hinting that he has some existing parsing bugs on PS5. It’s unclear if those are already exploited (at the user level at least) yet.
At least 2 of my bugs survived in parsers, but how to reach 🤔 (no not kernel bugs, can’t confirm that until have a dump)
— kd_tech (@kd_tech_) November 12, 2020
PS5 Hacking, what’s next?
As you can see there is already a lot of activity on the PS5 scene. This is not surprising in the early days of the console. Time will tell us if any of this initial research will lead to an active hacking scene and a jailbreak on the PS5.
O M G, they finally wrote about the PS5! I hope all of you cry babies are happy! now back to Vita…
Good thing the kiddies that make up the PS4 scene *** of TheFlow, so probably no hacks for you for a very loooooong time LMAO
Vita is worthless. Time to move on. 🙂
Nope! also there won’t be much to talk about the ps5 anyway, the crappy scene already *** off the best hacker they had 🙂
your worthless
You’re*
Consoles are pieces of *** without a hack. Still haven’t connected my unhackable switch to the net and only played the thing for like 5 hours since last December. Best of luck to those trying to make the ps5 & SX awesome
No switch is unhackable.
Can’t wait to get my hands on the PS5. This will be the system to exploit.
I will never buy this PS 4.5 (different package but same ***) until fully jailbroken as PS3 was – also I will ignore so called “Hen hacks” used just for pirating!
If I were you do not get it photos on your hat pins for I want the PlayStation 5 to stay Colleen and I mean that focus on iPhones to get hacked and the PS Vita is still alive so focus on those things we ain’t done yet what’s special with the PS4 all y’all did was have just the way I was apart who cares about that the ultimate reason is there’s no actual whereabouts at all for the PS5 just a full gaming system want a PlayStation 2 and 3 has a web browser this one is at zero so so I want you to forget about the system okay if you don’t listen to me hope you get banned and don’t come crying to me and say I need help so I shouldn’t have bought it
Has it been confirmed that the PS5 runs orbis? Kiwi’s parsing bugs suggest so but maybe they were just ported to whatever the PS5 is running. I’d like to see a completely custom OS like Horizon or the Vita but an old outdated free bsd base is probably better for finding bugs. Either way I won’t get one until it has a good legal SDK.
I think getting one early to get a low firmware would be the only reason to get on straight away.
Wondering this too.
Thanks Wololo, exciting times ahead!
Please write more about the Vita tho, I just got one after reading the articles here.
Using my name to make it look like i care about the old Vita isn’t cool. Vita is for the poor.
But you seem to always be wrong! so I’m just saying what you should, you are welcome 😉
I invented the vita plaese shut up immediately about my lovely child.
Well we are off to a good start with the ps5, thanks Wololo.
Few more days and I will have my ps5. Thanks for the update Wololo, we’ll hack this thing sooner than later.
Here, use them as you see fit: …… ,,,,, ;;;;; ()()()()
What the heck? I didn’t post this here. Someone is impersonating me.
Good article, nice to read something interesting for a change. I don’t remember the scene jumping onboard looking for ps4 exploits this quick.
ps5 is my dream and when hacked it will be even more.
nobody cares
Nothing happened with PS4, nothing will happen with PS5. Hacker scene is fully owned by Sony so no serious hack that not requires unupdated console with one year back firmware will come out. Switch was last hacked console.
Also flow already said he’s not doing anything else for this ungrateful morons, so yeah, they can keep dreaming for a long while.
Alex who knows where we will be in 12 months, anything can happen. PS5 could be the last console that Sony releases that has the games installed on it and on disc, so let’s make the best of it. Streaming is going to be fast enough that no one will need a powerful console in the future.
Right now there are a lot of issues on the PS5. Maybe by some of those weaknesses it will be possible to hack the PS5 on some level.
Please if I can play this info I want the system to be clean please all you want to do is try and get a web browser working forget it I can’t even report you people just leave the system alone nothing important just a well there’s a *** okay stop just focus on the PlayStation 4 scene and that’s it so leave it alone what about the PS Vita and PS4 plus see another PS5 scene I’m going to keep talking like this all day don’t tell much money you make put on a PS4 find new update hack for me.
I had a stroke trying to understand your comments….
Yeah, maybe Google translate is having a fit?
Yeah…. enjoy your lifelong wait because of scene drama, again. No, thanks.
I don’t understand why people get *** about the Vita not being relevant anymore, it was a great handheld, but in 2020 it is best remember. Now Vita emulation on the Switch would be cool.
Suck up.
Sounds like there are a few people here that are not going a PS5 for Christmas!
Good to see the enthusiasm for the ps5! I have mine on order!
i wonder if we could use call of duty? That game has so many damn bugs that literally freeze the console or Memory Overflow.