A prominent PlayStation modder and hacker has had enough. They were working on a project to bring Linux to newer PS5 models running more recent firmware when they announced they were done with the entire PS5 hacking scene. The reason? A modder who uses AI tools admitted to sharing an important exploit with Sony after allegedly promising not to do so until the release of Grand Theft Auto 6. Now there’s a ton of drama in the community, and the future of the PS5 Linux mod, which turns the console into essentially a Steam Machine, is uncertain.
Earlier this year, longtime PlayStation hacker TheFlow shared a video of a modded PS5 running Linux and playing Grand Theft Auto 5. According to TheFlow, the Linux hack would only work on PS5 consoles running older firmware. But they eventually planned to get Linux to work on newer models, including the PS5 Pro, and make it compatible with the most recent firmware updates. A lot of people were excited about this possibility.
I ported Linux to the PS5 and turned it into a Steam Machine. Running GTA 5 Enhanced with Ray Tracing. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aMbT0PQ1dS
— Andy Nguyen (@theflow0) March 6, 2026
This Linux mod was thanks to an exploit TheFlow had discovered and was working on that involved the PS5’s hypervisor, a key piece of the console’s anti-piracy and anti-tampering security software. TheFlow didn’t want to share the updated Linux mod and this important exploit until after the release of GTA 6. That game’s digital-only release means that players will have to buy it using the PSN store, and to do that, you need to be on the most recent firmware from Sony. And once Sony learned about the exploit, TheFlow and others in the community knew it would be patched out via a new firmware update ASAP. So, to let people still buy and enjoy GTA 6 and also use the Linux PS5 hack, TheFlow was reportedly waiting and working on the mod, with a 2027 release likely planned.
However, on September 15, a different PS5 hacker named Jordy shared the same hypervisor exploit TheFlow was working on with Sony via HackerOne, a site that companies use to pay people who discover hacks and other exploits and share them privately with the company. According to Jordy, who uses AI tools to help mod and hack, TheFlow didn’t share the hypervisor exploit with them. Instead, Jordy claimed he had independently found it using his “trusty AI clanker machine,” and been asked by TheFlow to not disclose it until after GTA 6‘s release.
When a third hacker also found the hypervisor exploit, Jordy reported it to Sony via HackerOne. He said he felt like it was only a matter of time before more people found it and tried to cash in on the bounty, which could pay out thousands of dollars if verified by PlayStation to be legitimate. Jordy’s mother is reportedly suffering from a terminal illness, and many in the community believe he could really use the money.
TheFlow is done with PS5 hacking
But now others are frustrated that the hypervisor exploit will likely be patched out in the near future. As a result of Jordy reporting the exploit to HackerOne, TheFlow posted that he’s walking away from the PS5 hacking and modding scene entirely.
“I am stepping away from the PS5 scene and stopping all my work on PS5 Linux,” posted TheFlow. “After pouring my heart and months of my life into it, including plans to finish PS5 Pro support and release in 2027, it’s all down the sink. 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 his tweets, TheFlow doesn’t specify who he is talking about, but many in the community believe it to be Jordy, who had already posted previously about talking to TheFlow and being asked to not report the exploit. TheFlow also claims that the person they are referring to had agreed to wait, but then a day later went back on this promise. Jordy himself has confirmed he was asked by TheFlow to not report the exploit, but after someone else found it, he reported it.
wow woke up to some drama tldr the hv bug I reported to h1 is theflows he asked me to not report it and I said I won’t and then someone found the bug with ai a few hours later so I reported it
— Jordy (@couldbeautism) September 16, 2026
“Wow, woke up to some drama tldr the [hypervisor] bug I reported to [HackerOne] is TheFlow’s,” posted Jordy on Tuesday on Twitter. “He asked me to not report it, and I said I wouldn’t, and then someone found the bug with AI a few hours later, so I reported it.” Jordy also shared a screenshot allegedly showing someone in the community sending him a nasty message about his mother dying.
The whole situation has led to a lot of online debating between PS5 jailbreak community members and hackers, with some people picking Team Jordy or Team TheFlow.
For some, Jordy has handed Sony a valuable exploit that would have let many people turn their PS5s into open-source Linux computers while still being able to play GTA 6. For others, Jordy didn’t do anything wrong because he discovered the hypervisor exploit himself and reported it to get money they desperately need. And others have pointed out that others in the community will likely keep working on the Linux PS5 project to get it running on more models; it just might take a lot longer now. Some wished Jordy (or TheFlow) had taken a community-funded $37,000+ bounty for a hypervisor exploit that would have kept the info away from Sony, though this likely would have caused issues for either hacker with continuing to claim PlayStation bounties on HackerOne.
One popular post on the PS5 Jailbreak subreddit simply shows the meme image of a young girl looking at a house on fire. She’s labeled as Sony, and the house is the PS5 hacking scene. The top reply to that comment is “I guess doing nothing paid off on Sony’s part and let the scene devour itself.” On Wednesday, Sony pushed out a new PS5 firmware update. Many in the community, including Jordy, warned players who want to continue jailbreaking and hacking their consoles to not update.
