A VR researcher claims to have discovered a successful Oculus Quest 2 jailbreak, gaining root access to the device, the XR Safety Initiative (XRSI) says.
XRSI is an organization dedicated to making spatial computing inclusive and safe as it grows in prominence. Yesterday, founder Kavya Pearlman announced that a “researcher from the XR community” had gained root access to Facebook’s new standalone headset. XRSI claims to have validated this for themselves, too, though we’re yet to see proof for ourselves.
Oculus Quest 2 Jailbreak Possibly Discovered
Commonly referred to as jailbreaking, the process of gaining root access means navigating around certain user permissions and agreements that a device’s manufacturer might otherwise enforce. In the case of Quest 2, for example, Facebook requires users to have a Facebook account to even access the headset’s core features. You can sideload content onto the device by accessing developer mode, but not until you’ve linked up that account and agreed to Terms of Service.
Gaining root access to Quest 2, then, could let users access the standalone headset without a Facebook account, though they wouldn’t have access to the Oculus store and other features, of course. It’s an especially interesting case for Quest 2, as users with banned Facebook accounts aren’t able to access the device at all, though Facebook is working with customers on an individual basis to solve those issues wherever possible.
Even if this claim is legitimate, we don’t know how Facebook might respond to it once more is revealed. XRSI is in the process of protecting individuals that discovered this jailbreak, as it’s possible Facebook could try to take legal action against this movement. It’s also possible that the company could simply update the headset to block out any exploits revealed in the process.
Don’t expect to hear more about the discovery and how others might utilize it until that process has been completed. Recently, WebXR developer Robert Long offered a $5,000 reward for jailbreaking Quest 2, a bounty that Oculus Rift inventor Palmer Luckey claimed he would match. Long says he’s still committed to delivering the bounty, though has postponed a crowdfunding campaign.
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