IGN has disclosed a rather symbolic security incident: a PS5 modding enthusiast, using generative AI, dug up a critical vulnerability in the console and collected a $50,000 (about 334,000 RMB) bounty through Sony's security reporting channel.
The submitted vulnerability could originally be used to run Linux directly on the PS5. Before Jordy stepped in, another security engineer had in fact discovered it first, and was continuously researching how to deploy Linux on firmware versions 13.60 through 14.0. Many players had been hoping to dual-boot Linux while still legitimately playing GTA 6, which only launches next month — but once Sony patched it, that path was blocked.
"Anyone can do it with AI"
Jordy admitted that if he hadn't reported it, the vulnerability would sooner or later have been found by someone else; in his view, with AI's help, the barrier to reproducing it had dropped so low that anyone could try. He chose to claim the bounty because his mother has a terminal illness and urgently needs money.
It is worth noting that cracking attempts targeting the PS5 have clearly increased recently, and generative AI has also sped up development of the PS5 emulator on PC. Sony's security reporting program was intended to incentivize white hats to close vulnerabilities promptly, but it also reflects how AI is flattening "vulnerability hunting" — once a hard skill heavily dependent on experience — into something anyone can try. The balance of security offense and defense may be quietly shifting.