TheFlow had hoped to finish PS5 Linux support with PS5 Pro compatibility and a 2027 release, but that plan has now been scrapped after a rare hypervisor exploit reached Sony through HackerOne. The PlayStation hacker says he is stepping away from the PS5 scene altogether.
TheFlow said the Linux hack was built on an exploit involving the PS5's hypervisor, a key part of the console's security layer. Earlier this year, he also showed a modded PS5 running Linux and playing Grand Theft Auto 5.
He had planned to extend Linux support to newer PS5 models, including the PS5 Pro, and make it work with the latest firmware updates. But on September 15, another PS5 hacker, Jordy, reportedly sent the same exploit to Sony through HackerOne.
Jordy said he had found the exploit independently and used AI tools to help him mod and hack. TheFlow, meanwhile, framed the situation much more harshly, saying the scene had changed for the worse.
The scene used to be a group of highly talented researchers, but now it is just a bunch of noobs using LLMs and writing hacks they don't even understand. Slop kiddies found the only hypervisor bug left, which I had also found a while ago, and decided to report to Sony.
In a separate post, TheFlow made his exit explicit:
I am stepping away from the PS5 scene and stopping all my work on PS5 Linux.
His departure now leaves the future of the project uncertain after the exploit appears to have landed in Sony's hands first.
Was Sony getting that hypervisor exploit through HackerOne the end of TheFlow's PS5 Linux project?
