In late October, a PlayStation 5 security researcher announced a new jailbreak called Prolapse, a kernel exploit that works on older firmware versions 14.00 and 14.10, after Sony's latest update seemed to close the door on it. The episode sits in a long human tradition of locks and the hands that test them, where each patch is both a shield and a message about what the maker values. Whether this crack leads anywhere depends on a separate tool that cannot yet open the newest systems, and on a game whose release date is still weeks away. For now, the story is less about a pirated copy than about
Prolapse PS5 Jailbreak Targets Firmware 14.10, Raising Piracy Concerns Ahead of GTA 6 Launch
The update's notes promised usability tweaks; a hacker says it closed the hole.
Mark
Why does a kernel exploit on 14.00 and 14.10 make people nervous about GTA 6?
Mimi
Because it's a foothold. Jailbreaks tend to build on each other, and Rockstar's game is the biggest target the scene could ask for.
Luke
A foothold isn't piracy, though. The reporting says the exploit works, but it's Coixao's account, and I don't see independent verification.
Mark
So what's the missing piece?
Mimi
The hypervisor bypass, Byepervisor-Reborn. It's what dumps and boots game backups, and it stops working after firmware 13.60.
Luke
Right, and Coixao only hinted 14.00 might support it after further investigation. That's a hint, not a result.
Mark
And the firmware requirement for GTA 6?
Mimi
Data mining suggests 14.10. That alone makes a backup on 14.00 tricky.
Luke
Keep in mind that's data mining, not a Rockstar announcement. It could also change before November 19th.
Mark
What about 14.20 patching the hole?
Mimi
That's what Coixao claims, and it pushes players toward a choice between staying jailbroken and staying online, since PSN needs at least 14.10.
Luke
Which is currently a requirement for 14.10, not 14.20. We don't know whether that changes.
Le Pouls
- A newly announced PS5 jailbreak called Prolapse threatens to unlock older firmware just as GTA 6 nears its November launch.
- Sony's 14.20 update, billed as a minor usability change, reportedly shut the vulnerability within days of release.
- Researchers are racing to find a hypervisor bypass that can carry piracy beyond firmware 13.60, and so far none does.
- Players who stay on older firmware to keep the jailbreak risk losing PSN access, and the pressure to update keeps building.
- The outcome hinges on two open questions: whether the bypass reaches 14.00 and whether GTA 6 demands newer software.
In late October, a PlayStation 5 security researcher announced a new jailbreak called Prolapse, a kernel exploit that works on older firmware versions 14.00 and 14.10, after Sony's latest update seemed to close the door on it. The episode sits in a long human tradition of locks and the hands that test them, where each patch is both a shield and a message about what the maker values. Whether this crack leads anywhere depends on a separate tool that cannot yet open the newest systems, and on a game whose release date is still weeks away. For now, the story is less about a pirated copy than about the uneasy space between owning hardware and being allowed to run what you bought.
On October 21st, Sony released PS5 firmware 14.20 with modest notes about screen design and usability. Within days, a PlayStation security researcher named Jose Coixao said the update had quietly closed a hole that his newly announced jailbreak, Prolapse, depended on. Prolapse is a kernel exploit that works on firmware 14.00 and 14.10, and he advised owners not to install anything newer than 14.00. Its method echoes the earlier Relapse exploit but targets a different memory management flaw. The community had already suspected that 14.20 contained hidden security fixes, and Coixao's account fits that suspicion, though no independent confirmation has been reported.
A kernel exploit alone does not make pirated games run. That requires a hypervisor bypass, Byepervisor-Reborn, which works only through firmware 13.60 and so cannot reach 14.00 or 14.10. Coixao has hinted that 14.00 might eventually be supported, but nothing is settled. Data mining suggests Grand Theft Auto 6, due November 19th, will require firmware 14.10, which would leave a pirated copy out of reach for now.
The pressure falls on ordinary players. PSN access already requires at least 14.10, so anyone staying on older firmware to keep the jailbreak risks losing online play, and the requirement could extend to 14.20 at any time. The episode has also reopened the old debate over whether buyers should have to keep hardware current to play what they own.
On October 21st, Sony pushed out PS5 firmware 14.20, with release notes promising only improved messaging and usability on some screens. Within days, a PlayStation security researcher named Jose Coixao was saying the update had done something the notes never mentioned: closed the hole behind a newly disclosed jailbreak.
That jailbreak is called Prolapse. According to Coixao, who announced it on social media, it is a kernel exploit that works on firmware 14.00 and 14.10. He summarized how it operates and told console owners not to install anything newer than 14.00. The technique resembles an earlier exploit, Relapse, but it targets a different weakness: a memory management flaw in a function called aio_multi_delete.
The homebrew community had suspected that 14.20 carried security fixes despite its bland description. Coixao's claim, that the update patched the vulnerability Prolapse relies on, fits that suspicion. It is his claim, though, and the reporting does not describe independent confirmation.
Another researcher, Gezine, recently teased a kernel exploit said to work on 14.10. Prolapse is considered more likely to reach the public, because Gezine has often kept findings private out of concern that releasing them would speed up Sony's countermeasures.
The larger question is whether any of this matters for Grand Theft Auto 6, due on November 19th. A kernel exploit alone does not make pirated games playable. Piracy depends on a separate tool, the hypervisor bypass Byepervisor-Reborn, which targets a different security layer and is used to dump and boot game backups. That bypass does not work on any firmware after 13.60, so it does not cover 14.00 or 14.10. Coixao hinted that 14.00 might support it after more investigation, but nothing is settled.
Data mining has suggested GTA 6 will require firmware 14.10 to run. With the bypass stuck at 13.60, a bootable backup through the jailbreak looks unlikely for now. The game could also demand even newer software by launch, which would put it further out of reach of anyone staying on older firmware.
That creates pressure on ordinary players. PSN login already requires at least 14.10, so those holding back on updates to preserve a jailbreak risk losing online access. The requirement does not yet extend to 14.20, but that could change at any time. The situation has also revived an old argument over whether people should have to keep their hardware current to play games they have bought.
What to watch: whether a hypervisor bypass reaches firmware 14.00, and whether GTA 6 ends up requiring software newer than 14.10 before November 19th.
Citations marquantes
Console owners should not install firmware later than 14.00.— Jose Coixao, PlayStation security researcher (paraphrased)
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