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I've noted the hacks out there for PS4; most of them involve completely bypassing the PS4's root-level security. Some involve access via USB, others may be remotely installable. For a time, unknown persons had access to my PS4 physically.

I've noticed remote-play like effects and other local problems while playing games that didn't exist before. I'd like to know if there's a way to see if the original firmware and/or certificates, etc, are in place.

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    As far as I know no one has gotten as far as creating hacked PlayStation 4 firmware, and you have have be using an old version (1.76) of the firmware for the known exploits to work. If you're running the latest firmware (3.11) your console hasn't been hacked.
    – user86571
    Jan 5, 2016 at 5:29
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    @Ross, that last sentence is VERY dangerous to assume (just in general). Sure, there might not be any known hacks to v3.11, but I don't think anybody can state that as an absolute fact.
    – Broots Waymb
    Jan 5, 2016 at 15:20
  • @DangerZone totally agree. There is an ocean between what is widely known in security and what exists in the wild. Probably, everything is hackable, and remotely at that. Just because it isn't announced doesn't mean it isn't possible and isn't happening. State actors keep these secrets all the time.
    – rcd
    Jan 5, 2016 at 18:00
  • @rcd If you want to be paranoid, then "state actors" have the means to hack any device in your home. If you think that's a possibility then there's no assurance anyone can give you that you haven't be hacked. But realistically, no, your PS4 hasn't been hacked. There's nothing to be gained from it, and I said there's no indication that any one in the PS4 hacking community actually has the capability to do it. The fact is that the PS4 hackers haven't wasted any time in announcing their progress. They're not as shadowy or as secretive as you assume.
    – user86571
    Jan 5, 2016 at 18:22
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    I work in security and could be a target of state actors. Thus it could be hacked in this case. I've seen realtime hacks occur during gaming, that you wouldn't believe. So again, how can one verify firmware etc?
    – rcd
    Jan 5, 2016 at 18:59

1 Answer 1

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To be on the safe side, you should use the PS4 Recovery Mode to re-install the system software via USB (Option 3). You should only download the official firmware update from https://www.playstation.com rather than rely on third-party or unofficial sources.

If you want to be extra safe, you should do a full backup of the console to a external hard drive and then reset the PS4 using Option 7 from the PS4 Recovery Mode. This will delete everything on the console, including the system software, saved data and games, so use with caution. Once reset, you can either restore your backed-up data or download your games again.

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  • This sound like a good option. Is it possible to download the firmware to USB, though? Never mind, I found the instructions in case anyone wants to do it: playstation.com/en-us/support/system-updates/ps4/…. The only problem I see is the possibility that the firmware can be updated remotely. If so, it would require constantly doing this procedure.
    – rcd
    Feb 4, 2016 at 19:54

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