PS4 12.52 Firmware Patch & TheFlow’s Bug Bounty
If you follow the PlayStation jailbreak scene, you’ve probably noticed some exciting movement lately — from new exploits to firmware patches. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with PS4 and PS5.
TheFlow’s $5,000 Bug Bounty & Firmware 12.52
Security researcher Andy Nguyen (TheFlow0) recently earned a $5,000 bounty from Sony via HackerOne. While smaller than typical kernel exploit rewards, it was still rated high severity.
What’s interesting is the timing: Sony released firmware 12.52 right before the report went public. The update included generic “security fixes,” and digging into the files showed changes in the BDJ stack for Blu-ray playback — specifically, updates to the java.security file.
Earlier versions (12.02, 12.50) didn’t protect certain Java packages, which may have allowed privilege escalation. While not a confirmed exploit path yet, it hints at a potential Blu-ray-based userland entry point — something that could be very useful for future jailbreaks.
Fix for PS4 9.xx Browser Jailbreak Issues
Good news for PS4 users on firmware 9.00–9.60: the Laps exploit caused annoying black screens and save data corruption.
The fix? The GoldHEN AIO plugin. Once installed, it removes black screens and lets you save and reload games normally. If you gave up on the browser jailbreak because of these bugs, it’s worth trying again with this plugin.
PS5 Exploit Progress
On the PS5 side, things are moving forward too:
- Lua Loader on 8.00: Hacker Echo Stretch managed to get Lua Loader running with Kstuff on firmware 8.00, a step beyond the 7.61 limit. This could open doors for homebrew and fake package installs.
- PS5 Debug Update: Developer CTN updated PS5 Debug, now supporting all 7.xx firmwares, making it easier to use trainers, mods, and save editors.
- Save Mounter Upgrade: The tool no longer requires launching a game first, meaning you can patch or inject save files more easily.
Hidden Devkit Tools in Retail PS4 Units
A discovery by Old School Mods revealed that retail PS4 consoles still contain many devkit debugging tools like Mdebug and legacy syscalls. These are normally locked, but with the right patches and environment tricks, some developer features can be re-enabled.
It doesn’t fully convert a retail PS4 into a devkit, but it’s a big step toward advanced debugging and development access.
Final Thoughts
The PlayStation jailbreak community is active as ever. Between TheFlow’s vulnerability report, firmware 12.52 changes, PS4 fixes, and new PS5 progress, there’s plenty happening. Some updates are speculative, others are ready to use today.
If you’re into jailbreaking, now’s a great time to update your tools, test new exploits, and watch what comes next.