A bizarre phenomenon has emerged on eBay, where a relatively obscure PlayStation 4 game called "Star Wars Racer Revenge" is being listed for hundreds of dollars. The game, initially released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2, was re-released in 2019 to largely indifferent audiences.
The reason behind the sudden surge in price lies not with the game's entertainment value, but rather its potential as a key to a newly discovered method for jailbreaking Sony's PS5 hardware. The alleged hack takes advantage of the availability of the console's ROM keys, which were leaked online over New Year's Eve and have been described by cybersecurity experts as "a very big problem" for Sony.
While the ROM leak itself does not enable full-scale jailbreaking, it has provided a crucial entry point for developers to find exploits. A disc copy of the game appears to be the first discovered exploit, allowing developer Gezine to access the game's debugging console and inject code to print a message on screen.
Sony had previously managed to keep its PS5 consoles secure from low-level jailbreaking since their release in November 2020. However, this new development marks a significant shift, as a jailbreak using the leaked ROM keys would be an entirely different matter altogether.
While some experts have expressed skepticism about the potential for widespread jailbreaking, one thing is certain: the discovery of these security vulnerabilities marks a new frontier in the world of console hacking. As one developer noted on Twitter, "the keys are NOT enough to pwn a PS5," suggesting that significant technical hurdles need to be overcome before full-scale jailbreaking becomes possible.
For Sony, this development poses a worrying challenge. With no clear way to prevent or mitigate these security breaches, the company may be forced to take steps to address the issue. In the meantime, eBay listings for "Star Wars Racer Revenge" are selling out at alarming rates, with prices skyrocketing in response to the game's newfound notoriety.
The reason behind the sudden surge in price lies not with the game's entertainment value, but rather its potential as a key to a newly discovered method for jailbreaking Sony's PS5 hardware. The alleged hack takes advantage of the availability of the console's ROM keys, which were leaked online over New Year's Eve and have been described by cybersecurity experts as "a very big problem" for Sony.
While the ROM leak itself does not enable full-scale jailbreaking, it has provided a crucial entry point for developers to find exploits. A disc copy of the game appears to be the first discovered exploit, allowing developer Gezine to access the game's debugging console and inject code to print a message on screen.
Sony had previously managed to keep its PS5 consoles secure from low-level jailbreaking since their release in November 2020. However, this new development marks a significant shift, as a jailbreak using the leaked ROM keys would be an entirely different matter altogether.
While some experts have expressed skepticism about the potential for widespread jailbreaking, one thing is certain: the discovery of these security vulnerabilities marks a new frontier in the world of console hacking. As one developer noted on Twitter, "the keys are NOT enough to pwn a PS5," suggesting that significant technical hurdles need to be overcome before full-scale jailbreaking becomes possible.
For Sony, this development poses a worrying challenge. With no clear way to prevent or mitigate these security breaches, the company may be forced to take steps to address the issue. In the meantime, eBay listings for "Star Wars Racer Revenge" are selling out at alarming rates, with prices skyrocketing in response to the game's newfound notoriety.
i'm shocked 
about this ebay listing for star wars racer revenge 
it's like people think its some kind of super rare collectible 
but honestly who even plays this old game anymore? 
anyway, security breaches and console hacking are getting more serious 
this rom leak is a big deal 
i mean, sony should probably get on that ASAP 
can't wait to see what happens next 
I mean, I get it, cybersecurity is a big deal and all that, but can't we focus on something else for once? Like, I don't even own a PS5 and I'm already stressed about the implications of this leak 
. I mean, I'm no expert or anything, but isn't this whole thing just a big mess? And what about the devs who are gonna try and exploit this for whatever reason? 
. In the meantime, can someone please tell me if "Star Wars Racer Revenge" is still worth playing? 
. And don't even get me started on how this is just going to lead to more vulnerabilities and security breaches. I mean, seriously, can't people think about something other than hacking and exploiting for once? 
. I mean, I get why Sony would be worried about security breaches, but £100 for a game? That's just ridiculous 
. The fact that some experts are saying these hacks aren't enough to pwn a PS5 yet is kinda reassuring 
. Still, you have to respect the skills of whoever found those ROM keys - that's some impressive cybersecurity work 
Guess you could say it's a star in the world of hacking now 
.
.
now we'll have to wait and see how sony handles this one, maybe they'll update their software or something, but for now it's all just a big mess