A PlayStation 5 hacker who goes by Jordy has set off a fierce row in the console's homebrew community after privately reporting a security flaw to Sony and collecting a $50,000 reward. Modders had hoped the bug would stay quiet until after GTA 6 launches on November 19.
Jordy found a weak spot deep inside the PS5's software, the kind of flaw that can let hackers take control of the console and even run Linux on it. He says he found it with help from AI, then reported it through HackerOne, a site where companies pay people to flag problems before they spread. Sony paid him $50,000.
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So why the outrage? Because Jordy wasn't the only one who knew. He claims Google security engineer Andy Nguyen, known online as theflow0, found the same bug back in 2025 and kept it to himself. Nguyen had spent months building a way to run Linux on the PS5 and showed it off in March.
The community's theory is all about timing. Madwax0r, who runs the emulator tracker Kaishaku, told IGN that GTA 6 needs the latest firmware and a PSN sign-in. If the bug had stayed secret until after launch, fans could have updated, bought GTA 6 legitimately and still used Linux. Now Sony can fix the flaw first, so players may have to pick one or the other.
Nguyen has quit the PS5 scene and scrapped plans for PS5 Pro support, saying months of work went to waste. He also took a swipe at newcomers using AI to make hacks they don't understand.
Jordy says it wasn't that simple. According to him, he and Nguyen first agreed to stay quiet, but another researcher found the bug with AI soon after.
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Then came the tweet. Jordy posted about his payout and it racked up 1.8 million views. He admits it probably provoked people and says that was the point. Some critics suspect Nguyen coached him, but Jordy denies it and calls Nguyen a legend.
Fans are split. Plenty say $50,000 is life-changing money that anyone would take, and madwax0r points out that Jordy's mother is terminally ill. Others worry that a jailbreak on GTA 6-ready firmware could open the door to piracy.
Jordy believes more bugs like this are out there and says he'll keep researching, though he has little time lately. For now, the money buys him time with his family.
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