The game pictured was released more than 20 years ago. Surprisingly, its price has surged in recent days from $30 to $400 — and those buying it have no intention of actually playing it.
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When you power on an electronic device such as a computer, smartphone, or gaming console, several interesting steps take place at its core before it becomes fully operational.
A process called the bootloader is responsible for loading operating system files from the hard drive into RAM, and only once that loading is complete does the device become active.
This is why you see a manufacturer logo screen every time you turn on your device — that process is running in the background in the meantime.
The bootloader files are heavily encrypted, and the only way to decrypt them is through encryption keys — boot keys — that are physically burned onto an electronic chip inside the device during manufacturing.
These decryption keys are considered a closely guarded secret, because whoever holds them can read the source code of the boot process, identify vulnerabilities, and exploit them for various purposes — a process known as jailbreaking.
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Recently, the encryption keys for the PlayStation 5 leaked online.
These keys make it possible to decrypt the PlayStation's boot process and identify critical security vulnerabilities.
After careful analysis, one such vulnerability was found in the boot sequence — but it turned out that exploiting it to jailbreak the device requires a physical copy of the game *Star Wars: Racer Revenge*, which first launched in 2002.
This specific game disc contains a security flaw that allows code to be injected into the device's RAM while it is running.
This exploit can be used to embed code that disables the manufacturer's built-in restrictions, making it possible to install unauthorized software, cheat in games, and even install Linux.
Of all the copies of the game ever released, only 8,500 copies produced in 2019 for the PlayStation 4 are suitable for the job — which triggered a sudden, wildly disproportionate spike in their price.
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Despite all the hype, it's worth remembering that this is primarily a pursuit for enthusiasts eager to crack the challenge rather than a practical move, since jailbreaking the device causes serious problems.
A jailbroken device loses access to the game store, online multiplayer, and important security updates. It also becomes far less stable and is prone to performance issues and crashes.
And yet there will always be those who invest the time and effort to find a way — if only to prove that it can be done.
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👋 Hi, I'm Shlomo Strauss — follow me for more fascinating content on science and technology.