PlayStation 4 hacked to run Linux and play Pokémon
We did talk about how Sony’s PlayStation 4 was hacked before, but it looks like another hacking group managed to take the reins from the previous group. However, what was the primary difference between the two results? This hacked PlayStation 4 is able to run a Linux kernel-based operating system. Fail0verflow was successfully able to carry out the operation, and there is even a video showing how they managed to carry out the feat.
The guys belonging to the hacking group Fail0verflow demonstrated Linux on PlayStation 4 at the 32nd Chaos Communication Congress (also known as 32c3) event that had taken place on December 30, 2015. In order to know how the group managed to accomplish such a feat, you will have to pay close attention to the video. Regardless, we will state the details here; the group managed to find some vulnerability in the PlayStation 4 gaming console, as the Linux kernel-based operating system is launched by tapping on the Settings options and then the ‘User’s Guide’.
One of the reasons why the gaming console was able to get hacked was because the machine appears to have a broken NOP command on the integrated AMD Radeon GPU (also known as an APU). The report states that following components are currently functional after the hack:
• Timers
• IRQs
• PCI
• Serial port
• Framebuffer
• Kernel modesetting
• HDMI encoder
• Ethernet
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• S/PDIF audio
While 3D acceleration, USB, and HDMI audio have yet to work, the hacking group stated that they will make it work eventually, along with the SATA AHCI Blu-Ray reader. Now are you waiting for one of the biggest surprises of the hack? Fail0verflow managed to make a Game Boy Advance work with the console. Yes, you read that correctly, the popular hand held gaming device of the previous generation also managed to work with PlayStation 4. All the details are present in the video so enjoy it and tell us what you thought.
