Last updated: 26 September 2026
The recent PS4 13.52 jailbreak did something particularly unusual.
For a short period, jailbroken PS4 consoles running firmware 13.52 were reportedly still able to authenticate with PlayStation Network.
That meant modified consoles were not limited to offline homebrew.
Some users were able to enter GTA Online.
MODDERS ENTERED GTA ONLINE
Reports began appearing around 20–21 September showing modified PS4 consoles entering GTA Online sessions.
Players reported behaviour associated with mod menus, including:
• God mode
• Invisibility
• Rank manipulation
• Large amounts of GTA$
• Other gameplay modifications
The important technical detail was not simply that PS4 13.52 had been jailbroken.
It was that firmware 13.52 was still able to access PSN during the early period after the jailbreak became public.
Normally, jailbreak development tends to target firmware that is already too old to access PlayStation Network.
This situation was different.
WHY 13.52 WAS SPECIAL
Sony released PS4 firmware 14.00 shortly before the jailbreak activity around 13.52 accelerated.
For a limited period, PSN authentication reportedly continued working on the previous 13.52 firmware.
That created a rare overlap:
PS4 13.52
+
Public jailbreak
+
GoldHEN support
+
Temporary PSN access
For homebrew researchers, that was technically interesting.
For online games, however, it created a security problem.
A console capable of running modified software could potentially connect to services designed around the assumption that the PlayStation environment had not been modified.
THE WINDOW HAS NOW CLOSED
The unusual situation appears to have been temporary.
Sony has since changed the firmware requirement for PlayStation Network access, preventing ordinary 13.52 consoles from continuing to use PSN in the same way.
That significantly reduces the immediate GTA Online problem.
It also demonstrates one of Sony's simplest responses when a jailbreak reaches firmware that can still access its online infrastructure: require users to update before authenticating.
WHY THIS MATTERS BEYOND GTA
Console security is not only about preventing homebrew.
Modern consoles use several layers of security to protect:
• Game integrity
• Online multiplayer
• User accounts
• Digital purchases
• Anti-cheat systems
• Protected system services
Once arbitrary code can execute on a console, researchers can explore capabilities that Sony never intended ordinary software to have.
That is useful for homebrew development and security research.
But the same capability can also be abused.
This is why jailbreak development and online cheating should not be treated as the same thing.
A jailbreak can be used for legitimate homebrew, emulation, research and software experimentation.
Using that access to interfere with other players in an online game is a separate activity.
WHAT ABOUT PLAYERS WHO RECEIVED MODDED MONEY?
Reports warned that GTA Online mod menus could manipulate money and RP, potentially affecting other players in the same session.
Some reports suggested this could expose innocent players to enforcement if their accounts suddenly received abnormal amounts of currency or RP.
However, MicLinks Radar has not found a specific Rockstar statement confirming that innocent players affected during this incident would be banned.
That claim should therefore be treated cautiously.
THE BIGGER PS4 13.52 STORY
The GTA Online incident shows just how quickly the PS4 13.52 scene developed.
Within a short period, the firmware moved from being a relatively recent PS4 system version to having public jailbreak activity and GoldHEN support.
MicLinks Radar previously covered the arrival of GoldHEN on 13.52.
The temporary PSN overlap shows another side of that development: what happens when security research reaches firmware that is still close enough to Sony's current software ecosystem to interact with online services.
The immediate online window may have closed.
But PS4 13.52 remains one of the most interesting PlayStation security developments of 2026.
MicLinks Radar — Discover. Understand. Build.
