Sony deals sharp blow to future PS4 jailbreak prospects

If you've kept your hopes up for a new jailbreak for the PlayStation 4, Sony's latest move is unlikely to thrill you. The company has now opened up a Bug Bounty program to the public, encouraging hackers to find vulnerabilities and potential security holes in its products, in return for monetary compensation.

Money compensation here isn't minor either: Sony is offering US$3,000 for critical vulnerabilities in PSN, and a massive US$50,000 payout for those who manage to find something similar in the PlayStation 4. 

That considered, the chances of a future PlayStation 4 jailbreak release may have just plummeted. They weren't significant before this either way, but this new development all but puts the nail in the coffin. For the near future, at least. It's more likely that the PS4's homebrew scene picks up when the PS5 is finally made available for purchase, but even then it'll take some time.It wasn't until 2018, for example, that the PS3 got an encompassing jailbreak solution, five whole years after the launch of the PS4.

Of course, Sony can hardly go back to fix vulnerabilities in older firmware, so that's likely where developers may find some joy. But even then, US$50,000 is a lot to turn down.

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