Security researcher hacks PS5 to run Linux and Steam games, releases code publicly
Any PlayStation 5 can be turned into a highly capable Linux computer. A public Linux loader has been released by Andy Nguyen, an information security engineer, who exploited a firmware vulnerability. Users are already using it to play Steam or other third-party games, but for the soft-mod to work, the console needs to run an older firmware version.
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Any PlayStation 5 can be turned into a highly capable Linux computer. A public Linux loader has been released by Andy Nguyen, an information security engineer, who exploited a firmware vulnerability. Users are already using it to play Steam or other third-party games, but for the soft-mod to work, the console needs to run an older firmware version.
Nguyen first reported running Linux on PS5 in March. However, now the security researcher has released a working public PS5 Linux loader.
“Ps5-linux has been released! You can now turn your PS5 Phat console on 3.xx and 4.xx FWs into a fully functional Linux PC gaming device!” the researcher posted on X.
The loader leverages a patched PS5 vulnerability. The researcher claims that Linux runs on the device surprisingly well and unlocks “full hardware potential.”
“And before anyone comes saying ‘oh but it already runs Linux’ – no, it’s using ProsperoOS, which is a heavily modified version of FreeBSD 11,” Nguyen added.
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Released two days ago, the GitHub repository already has 672 stars, and dozens of tech enthusiasts have forked the repository.
“Powered by 8 CPU cores (16 threads) at 3.5 GHz and a GPU at 2.23 GHz, it provides enough performance to run Steam games and various emulators with impressive fluidity. It supports HDMI 4K60 video and audio output. Furthermore, it allows you to utilize an M.2 SSD as a dedicated Linux partition, as well as all USB ports on the console,” the readme file explains.
The main limitation is that this is not a permanent installation, but a soft-mod – after each restart, users need to re-run the exploit to boot into Linux again. It also only works on older firmware versions.
Back in March, the researcher demonstrated playing GTA 5 Enhanced with Ray Tracing using Linux on PS5.
How is it done?
The exploit currently works with non-slim PS5 consoles running 3.xx and 4.xx firmware versions. Only 4.xx ( versions 4.00, 4.02, 4.03, 4.50, 4.51) have M.2 support.
The procedure to turn the PS5 into a Linux box is quite involved.
To load Linux, users are required to have another boot media, a minimum of 64GB, which can be a USB external drive or SSD. The loader supports an optional internal M.2 SSD for storing files, but the console's main storage remains intact.
Moreover, users will need to connect a USB Ethernet or WLAN adapter for internet access, as well as a keyboard and mouse, because there are no drivers to use the PS5’s internal network adapters.
First, the wannabe hackers would flash the Linux image, i.e., Ubuntu, to the USB and plug it into the PS5.
The exploit relies on tricking the console into visiting a fake manuals.playstation.net domain.
The provided instructions guide users to run their own fake DNS server using a webkit-based kernel exploit and jailbreak for PS5.
Next is changing PS5’s network settings to use the fake DNS address, as well as accepting an untrusted certificate prompt. These steps point the domain address (manuals.playstation.net) to the local PC’s IP address running the exploit.
The last step is running the actual jailbreak with a provided command, sending the payload to the console.
“If all is successful, the payload will automatically go into rest mode. Wait until the orange LED stops blinking and becomes static. Only then, press the power button again to boot your PS5 into Linux. If the boot is successful, the LED should turn white,” the instructions read.
Check if your data has been leaked
From there, users can configure their system with a login password. Nguyen also recommends disabling the screen saver, as it is currently buggy, installing Firefox, and cloning ps5-linux-tools, another utility for controlling fans and making other required changes.
The PS5 DualSense controller can be used if connected with a Bluetooth dongle.
The hacked PS5 Linux machine supports up to 4K resolution at a 60Hz refresh rate.
The researcher hopes to add higher refresh rates in the future, as well as a rest mode, which allows the PS5 to relaunch Linux when powering up again after standby.
While it might seem like a niche experiment, it actually unlocks many use cases for the hardware. It can power some home lab experiments, run services, or be used as an everyday computer. It’s probably only a matter of time before someone installs an AI assistant such as OpenClaw to run on a PS5.
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