Since this is a translation of an overseas article, there may be mistranslations.
https://hothardware.com/news/sony-faces-unpatchable-ps5-jailbreak-threat-after-rom-keys-leak
Sony Faces Unpatchable PS5 Jailbreak Threat After ROM Keys Leak
The PlayStation 5 has effectively been hacked in 2026, and there's little Sony can do about it unless they release a new hardware revision. This is because PlayStation 5 hackers have found the BootROM (Level 0) keys for the PlayStation 5, which allow them to decrypt the bootloader. This gives them control over the software that runs on the device.
While this doesn't mean much in the short term, it significantly increases the likelihood that we'll soon be able to use custom firmware and unofficial backups on current PlayStation 5 hardware. TheCyberSecGuru states, "We're going to see more sophisticated game backups and loaders emerge in 2026," and "This leak is likely to drastically shorten the timeline for widespread piracy."
The leaked PS5 BootROM keys will also make it easier to recreate booting and bootloader decryption in emulators, further shortening the path (both legal and illegal) to emulation.
While TheCyberSecGuru mentions that this could accelerate the timeline for 60 FPS Bloodborne, this is somewhat outdated thinking. 60 FPS Bloodborne is already achievable on hacked PS5s or PS4 Pros, and frame rate-unlocked versions of Bloodborne are already playable via ShadPS4. However, this leak will undoubtedly breathe life into PlayStation 5 emulation.
The long-term impact of this move means the emergence of permanently jailbroken PlayStation 5 consoles. This is good news for personal backups and homebrew development, but it will undoubtedly lead to an increase in piracy and other mischief on the PlayStation 5.
Sony is likely to take legal action against the distributors of the leaked BootROM keys and hacking developers, as well as ban jailbroken consoles or accounts from the PlayStation Network. Finally, this increases the likelihood that a new revision (refresh) of the PlayStation 5 hardware will be released in 2026. If the PlayStation 5 Pro shares the same BootROM key as the base PS5, then we may see revisions for that console as well.
▶ Source: https://hothardware.com/news/sony-faces-unpatchable-ps5-jailbreak-threat-after-rom-keys-leak
