PS3 hacked by iPhone dev?

[RageProphetXIII]

This is an article I just read. I wonder if it's real. We'll see soon enough. What do you think about hacking the PS3? Would you do it?

Here's something interesting for the weekend. iPhone developer Geohot claims to have been finally able to hack the PS3.

Here's what the dev posted on his blog:

I have read/write access to the entire system memory, and HV level access to the processor. In other words, I have hacked the PS3. The rest is just software. And reversing. I have a lot of reversing ahead of me, as I now have dumps of LV0 and LV1. I've also dumped the NAND without removing it or a modchip.

Geohot further adds that even though he's not revealing the exploit yet, it's not patchable by Sony. Firmware updates could however make implementation harder. There's no mention of what firmware he's working with.

Geohot -- if it is the same one -- made his mark on the iPhone homebrew community with a baseband unlock for firmware 3.1. Without further proof I'll have to put this under rumor for now. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if this turns out to be the real deal.

[Eagles931]

coool. i would hack if i could, but im not computer smart

[sovereign]

Here's a link to the original blog post: http://geohotps3.blogspot.com/2010/0...im-geohot.html

It would be nice if people would source their information.

No disrespect intended, I'm just sayin'.

[RageProphetXIII]

Well damn man spit on me why don't you.....ha. Good work, thanks for the Add.

If this is real then this is going to be the best thing that has happen in the homebrew community.

[dRiX]

What will the hacks be able to do? I hope its not like in-game hacks like PsP but maybe free games like PsP.

[RageProphetXIII]

The only thing I'd be interested in is HOmeBrew and just being able to use the full power of the PS3 as a computer.

[Crono]

Home brew would be exciting, especially since Sony does not have an equivalent to Microsoft's XNA (XB360/Windows Homebrewing package, free from MS).

[RageProphetXIII]

Here is a follow up from this story. It looks like Sony is interested in these claims.



Sony looking into PS3 hack rumors

It's not every day that you hear about the PS3 getting hacked, especially when the guy behind it is a pretty well-known iPhone hacker. Smelling the potential threat to the threshold, Sony has sent out word that they're on the case and investigating the truth behind the PS3 hack rumors.



"We are investigating the report and will clarify the situation once we have more information," said a statement from a Sony rep.



Though the hack is said to be unpatchable, the hacker, Geohot, himself said that firmware updates could complicate the implementation. As it is, we'll just have to wait for updates from both ends of the battleground.

[dRiX]

Well I guess we win either way...? Updates or Homebrew? I still think homebrew would be better because recent updates have not been so great. I doubt these updates will have anything to do with us anyways.

[RageProphetXIII]

Geohotz PS3 exploit released
Posted Jan 27, 2010 at 1:52AM by Ryan F. Listed in: PS3 Tags: Exploit, Geohot, hack
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111 QJ

ps3



Well, here it is! Geohot has finally released the PS3 exploit that will hopefully ignite the PS3 homebrew scene.



Here's what the dev posted on his blog:



In the interest of openness, I've decided to release the exploit. Hopefully, this will ignite the PS3 scene, and you will organize and figure out how to use this to do practical things, like the iPhone when jailbreaks were first released. I have a life to get back to and can't keep working on this all day and night.

Please document your findings on the psDevWiki. They have been a great resource so far, and with the power this exploit gives, opens tons of new stuff to document. I'd like to see the missing HV calls filled in, nice memory maps, the boot chain better documented, and progress on a 3D GPU driver. And of course, the search for a software exploit.

This is the coveted PS3 exploit, gives full memory access and therefore ring 0 access from OtherOS. Enjoy your hypervisor dumps. This is known to work with version 2.4.2 only, but I imagine it works on all current versions. Maybe later I'll write up how it works :)



Thanks to Zakir, Matt, EXTER, devi59, The Dark, Legend Assasin, Roman V., DigiTalDeaD and lee for the tip!

http://dl.qj.net/playstation-3/homebrew-applications/geohotz-ps3-exploit.html

[RageProphetXIII]

Here is the confirmation about this hack and It sounds like it works but nothing like a HEN is in the works yet.....I wonder how long it will be before Sony starts bricking consoles again......I mean updating it.



Another look into the PS3 hack
Posted Jan 27, 2010 at 4:42PM by Glenn M.

When word of the PS3 hack first came out, some were skeptical, some were intrigued, the rest simply waited for events to unfold. Unfold they did - George Hotz, aka Geohotz, has indeed paved the way for hacking the PS3 and subsequently released his PS3 exploit. The hackspeak must be a little too much for the lay-man, but thankfully, Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter provided a more understandable look into the controversial hack.



It's no secret that the PlayStation 3 is the most secure gaming system ever created. Staying hack free until now is easy proof of that, something that cannot be said about its two competitors. "Xbox 360 was compromised owing to the unencrypted nature of the firmware on the original DVD drives," Leadbetter stated. "Wii was hacked because the system itself was so similar to the GameCube that when the old hardware was cracked, the new revision fell with it."



Sony, however, took things to another level. "Not only is the drive software itself encrypted, but it’s widely believed that the mandatory firmware updates can also reflash the Blu-ray drive too – even if the drive was hacked (it never has been) it would be re-secured next time you updated your PS3."



ps3s



"Basically, I used hardware to open a small hole and then used software to make the hole the size of the system to get full read/write access," Geohotz told The Register. "Right now, although the system is broken, I have great power. I can make the system do whatever I want."



"In older systems, like the PSP, reverse-engineering code contained within that memory map was enough to find the decryption keys to game security and system software updates, and so the concepts of ISO loaders and custom firmware emerged," as Leadbetter put it.



Though he has successfully gained complete access to the entire system memory, Hotz himself has said that the hack is far from complete. The decryption keys are still safely tucked away in of the console's eight SPUs, guarded by several layers of security.



"Making matters difficult is the fact that Sony and IBM’s security protocols were created to anticipate a worst-case scenario, and assumed that at some point someone like Geohot would gain access in this way. So even more layers of security were added to the design," Leadbetter noted.



It's still not clear if the exploit can produce HEN, or homebrew enabler. There's also the question of cracking the system to be vulnerable to piracy. One thing's sure at the moment - the hack still has a long way to go and Sony has taken every step it can to protect the PS3.



The full in-depth analysis can be found on Digital Foundry through Eurogamer via the link below.

[RageProphetXIII]

Here's something pretty interesting in this back and forth between Hacker and Sony....I don't know what this means.



Sony responds to GeoHotz PS3 exploit with a new patent?


Sony's not taking the GeoHotz PS3 exploit sitting down. A new patent has been filed by Sony, and it looks like it's their response to the exploit. Hold on tight, this is gonna be quite a ride.

To quote this patent, it is:

“A method, system, and computer-usable medium are disclosed for controlling unauthorized access to encrypted application program code. Predetermined program code is encrypted with a first key. The hash value of an application verification certificate associated with a second key is calculated by performing a one-way hash function. Binding operations are then performed with the first key and the calculated hash value to generate a third key, which is a binding key.

The binding key is encrypted with a fourth key to generate an encrypted binding key, which is then embedded in the application. The application is digitally signed with a fifth key to generate an encrypted and signed program code image. To decrypt the encrypted program code, the application verification key certificate is verified and in turn is used to verify the authenticity of the encrypted and signed program code image. The encrypted binding key is then decrypted with a sixth key to extract the binding key.

The hash value of the application verification certificate associated with the second key is then calculated and used with the extracted binding key to extract the first key. The extracted first key is then used to decrypt the encrypted application code."

Now I will not even go and pretend I understood all that technical jargon. What I do know is that it does sound ominous.

This is gonna be a different kind of game now.

[RageProphetXIII]

Geohot: Don't update when PS3 firmware v3.21 comes out

Hot off the the heels of the upcoming PS3 firmware 3.21 announcement that disables the "Other OS" feature yesterday, George Hotz fires back at Sony and promises to "look into a safe way of updating to retain OtherOS support". But first, the famed hacker sent out his apologies to the PS3 community and explained his reasons for hacking the console:

First off, I want to apologize to all the people who use Linux on their PS3. Before releasing, I weighed the pros and cons, and considered the possibility of an impact on OtherOS support. My logic was this. OtherOS support had already been removed from the Slim(not for technical reasons; I believe it only existed in the first place to promote the Cell for IBM) The builders had apparently no intention of including it in future products. So for the purposes of openness why not release? Not like anything else has(or probably will be) done on the PS3.

Now you go and remove that people expected to be included with the expensive device they purchased, citing "security concerns". What security concerns? It's not like the exploit can be run even close to without the users knowledge. You have to open the fucking thing up. How could this harm users? Your blog post doesn't list positive reasons for upgrading like I think most users expect. Instead it lists things you will lose if you don't upgrade. Seriously?

Now on the topic of upcoming PS3 firmware update, geohot says:

A note to people interested in the exploit and retaining OtherOS support, DO NOT UPDATE. When 3.21 comes out, I will look into a safe way of updating to retain OtherOS support, perhaps something like Hellcat's Recovery Flasher. I never intended to touch CFW, but if that's how you want to play...

[RageProphetXIII]

Watch: Geohot shows Other OS feature on PS3 FW 3.21


Geohot has released a video demo of his PS3 "custom firmware" (quotation marks are his). The video shows the Other OS feature running on a PS3 with OFW 3.21. If you'll remember, 3.21 removed the feature from the Sony home console.

Here's more info from Geohot himself:

This can be installed without having to open up your PS3, just by restoring a custom generated PUP file, but only from 3.15 or previous. It's possible this CFW will also work on the slim to actually *enable* OtherOS; I'll know when my infectus gets here.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-9wLWQ4-uA&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube- PS3 3.21 with OtherOS[/nomedia]


No release date yet, use the proxy hack to play online with 3.15



Thanks to Sonamta and Walo for the tips!



Via [Geohot]

[Brocman]

I wonder what sony's next move is gonna be. I am a total NON supporter of hacking consoles (look at what has happened to the PSP, sure you can listen to the radio on it but every single online game is pointless and a waste of money because 99% of the community is cheating with the use of a hack) but hopefully sony can find some middle ground that will make the asshole hackers happy and the normal gamers who don't want mass amounts of cheaters on every online game.