# Sony PlayStation security bug bounty payout

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/sony-playstation-security-bug-bounty-payout
> Updated: 2026-10-26T12:59:39.000Z. Sources: 11. Developments: 3.

Sony awarded a $50,000 reward to a security researcher, using the pseudonym 2tonejordy, for identifying a critical vulnerability within the PlayStation 5 ecosystem. The payout, facilitated through the HackerOne platform, is one of the highest rewards issued by the PlayStation Bug Bounty program, which has been active since June 2020.

The vulnerability, described as a ‘Hypervisor Bug’ affecting firmware versions 13.60 through 14.00, was reportedly resolved on October 15. New details indicate the exploit was discovered using artificial intelligence. While the researcher joked on social media that the reward would be enough to “at least buy GTA 6,” the discovery has caused friction within the PlayStation 5 homebrew community.

Prominent security engineer Andy Nguyen (theflow0), who had been working on running Linux on the console, announced he is stepping away from the PS5 scene following the report. The program aims to incentivize researchers to report flaws responsibly to Sony Interactive Entertainment to prevent unauthorized activities such as console jailbreaking or the sale of exploits on the black market.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-26: Sony pays $50,000 bounty for AI-discovered PS5 exploit

A hacker received a $50,000 Sony bounty for an AI-discovered PS5 hypervisor bug, causing backlash in the homebrew community.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/sony-pays-50000-bounty-for-ai-discovered-ps5-exploit

### 2026-10-16: Sony pays $50,000 bounty for critical PlayStation 5 security flaw

A security researcher earned a $50,000 bounty from Sony after discovering a critical vulnerability in the PlayStation 5 console.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/sony-pays-50000-bounty-for-critical-playstation-5-security-flaw

### 2026-10-14: Sony pays $50,000 bounty for critical PlayStation security flaw

A security researcher received a $50,000 bounty from Sony after reporting a critical vulnerability in the PlayStation system via the HackerOne platform.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/sony-pays-50000-bounty-for-critical-playstation-security-flaw

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Cite as: Sony PlayStation security bug bounty payout. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/sony-playstation-security-bug-bounty-payout