Last updated: 26 September 2026
PS5 security research has taken another step into newer firmware.
The open-source ps5debug-NG project now lists support for PlayStation 5 firmware through 13.60, including 13.40, 13.42 and 13.60.
That sounds like a major jailbreak announcement.
It isn't.
The distinction is important.
WHAT ACTUALLY CHANGED?
ps5debug-NG is a debugger payload designed for already-jailbroken PS5 consoles.
It allows researchers and developers to inspect and manipulate processes, interact with the system and perform low-level debugging operations.
Its latest firmware work extends the payload's recognised firmware range through 13.60.
According to the project's developers, firmware 13.60 required separate handling because its kernel data layout changed compared with earlier 13.x versions.
The developers say offsets were obtained through analysis of decrypted kernels, compared against known firmware and then confirmed on real hardware.
That is useful progress.
But it does not provide the initial exploit chain required to jailbreak an untouched 13.60 console.
THE JAILBREAK CHAIN MATTERS
A PS5 jailbreak is not normally one vulnerability or one program.
Several security boundaries may need to be defeated.
A simplified chain can look something like:
Entry point
↓
Userland exploitation
↓
Sandbox escape
↓
Kernel exploitation
↓
Security mitigations bypassed
↓
Payload execution
↓
Homebrew environment
Different projects solve different parts of that chain.
This is why seeing "13.60 supported" inside a PS5 payload does not automatically mean firmware 13.60 has a public jailbreak.
The payload still needs a way to execute on the console.
WHERE DOES BD-JB5 FIT?
BD-JB5 remains one of the most important recent PS5 developments.
The Blu-ray Disc Java exploit work extended the BD-J attack surface to PS5 firmware through 13.42.
That provides an important entry point and sandbox-related capability on supported systems.
But again, an entry point is not necessarily a complete jailbreak.
Firmware 13.60 is particularly interesting because ps5debug-NG now supports it, while the publicly documented BD-JB5 support currently stops at 13.42.
In other words, having payload support for 13.60 does not solve the problem of getting that payload running on an untouched 13.60 console.
WHY DEVELOPERS SUPPORT FIRMWARE BEFORE A PUBLIC JAILBREAK
This may seem backwards.
Why create payload support for firmware that ordinary users cannot yet jailbreak?
Because security researchers can obtain access through development environments, existing research methods and other controlled setups.
Preparing payloads and offsets ahead of time means that if a usable public exploit chain later reaches that firmware, parts of the homebrew ecosystem may already understand the underlying system version.
It also helps researchers compare how Sony changes kernel structures and security mechanisms between firmware releases.
THE PS4 SHOWS WHY THIS MATTERS
We recently saw something similar happen quickly on PS4.
Firmware support, kernel research, exploit development and homebrew payload compatibility gradually came together.
PS4 13.52 subsequently gained GoldHEN support, dramatically increasing what users on that firmware could actually do.
Development is continuing.
The newer ps4debug-NG project now recognises 37 PS4 firmware versions ranging from 5.05 through 13.52.
Researchers have also published kernel-offset work for PS4 firmware 14.00.
But kernel offsets alone do not constitute a PS4 14.00 jailbreak either.
CURRENT PS5 STATUS
The safest way to describe the situation as of 26 September is:
PS5 firmware 13.42:
Important public BD-JB5 exploit capability exists.
PS5 firmware 13.60:
Newer development tools and payload research now understand the firmware, but that does not establish a complete public jailbreak for an untouched console.
Newer firmware:
Research continues, but claims of a complete jailbreak should be treated cautiously unless a reproducible public exploit chain is released.
WHY THIS DEVELOPMENT MATTERS
The interesting part isn't that PS5 13.60 has suddenly been jailbroken.
It hasn't been demonstrated by this development.
The important part is that PS5 security researchers are increasingly understanding newer firmware.
Entry points, kernel research, firmware offsets, debugger compatibility and payload development are separate pieces.
When enough compatible pieces eventually connect, that is when a new jailbreak becomes meaningful to ordinary console owners.
For now, 13.60 support in ps5debug-NG should be viewed as another piece of that puzzle — not the finished puzzle.
MicLinks Radar will continue tracking those pieces separately so that research progress is not confused with a complete jailbreak release.
MicLinks Radar — Discover. Understand. Build.
