PS3 - Keys for signed binaries found, custom firmware released [Archive]

NayusDante

01-06-2011, 01:40 PM

I'm sure that everyone has heard the news. The actual cryptographic keys for signing PS3 software have been cracked, and a firmware modification has been released. This negates the dependency on the USB exploits and makes it so that anyone can install a patched firmware update that the console will recognize as authentic. Changing the keys is supposedly impossible, as it would render all existing software invalid.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/06/ps3-custom-firmware-lets-you-install-package-files-piracy-not/

However, there's really nothing to run at the moment. Packages need to be signed with the keys, and nobody has released signed binaries as of yet. I haven't installed the CFW on mine yet, but I am likely to when a build of DOSBox or something is available for 3.55.

TonyTheTiger

01-06-2011, 02:14 PM

I've taken a wait and see approach ever since the jailbreak first showed up. Given my 60gig is still at 3.15, I've since resigned to the fact that I'm going to fairly soon be buying a slim for all PSN related activity. But that's been a constantly delayed plan due to the erratic nature of the hacking progress.

If there is a way to keep OtherOS (and perhaps gain region-free PS1/2) and still gain full access to PSN, then I'm listening. But we'll have to see how Sony handles things on their end first. Nobody is really talking much about how PSN access works in relation to CFW. Whether Sony will (or even can) detect it.

norkusa

01-06-2011, 05:02 PM

Yeah I've been keeping an eye on this. The custom firmware is pretty much useless to me though since I've got a slim. From what I understand, all this CF does is enable PS1/PS2 compatibility on BC systems. It's not compatible with any loaders either.

It's still early, so I know bigger and better CF's will be out soon. This is a great start though.

kupomogli

01-06-2011, 05:02 PM

I have the latest firmware so if there's now custom firmware that's working then I'll have no problem downgrading in the future. I eventually want a full speed Wii emulator because there are games for it that I want to play. If that happens with Move support I'll downgrade and buy a Move. There was one video of a guy who got PSP games to work on the system. I also want to play PSP games updated to 1080p also.

norkusa

01-06-2011, 05:12 PM

There was one video of a guy who got PSP games to work on the system.

You mean that video of the guy playing a Chinatown Wars iso on his PS3? I'm pretty sure that ended up being a hoax. It's probably going to be possible now though.

kedawa

01-07-2011, 10:35 PM

The only way Sony could combat this is by changing their security model to a whitelist model where only known software can be run on the latest firmware, which would basically require all PS3s to be connected to PSN in order to update the list and enable new games to run. That definitely won't happen.
The PS3, PSP3000, and PSP Go are now in the same situation as the earlier PSPs as far as piracy and homebrew are concerned.

Pikkon

01-07-2011, 10:50 PM

Sony would have to release new hardware to combat this new hack,we have the PS3 master keys so you can sign anything to run just as Sony does.

TonyTheTiger

01-07-2011, 11:04 PM

If this is going to become a constant cat and mouse with Sony banning compromised consoles from PSN and exploits getting around Sony's efforts, and so on and so forth it might not even be worth playing that game. I'll just get a Move bundle and be done with it. Use the slim as my PSN machine and the fat as my "lulz" machine.

Oobgarm

01-12-2011, 12:45 PM

Sony's already got court documents out:

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/12/sony-begins-legal-action-against-ps3-hackers/

geezuzkhrist119

01-12-2011, 01:07 PM

Sony is now fucked. I applaud the ps3 for out lasting the 3 consoles from the hackers.

NayusDante

01-12-2011, 01:10 PM

It's really hard to say where this could go. Really, it should be protected under the phone jailbreaking court results. Sony seems to be implying that he broke into a "protected system," but once you own that system it's hard to say you're not allowed to open it. Then again, the software is usually "licensed," not sold, so you could argue that you own the hardware but not the OS. Even then, you should be allowed to run alternative operating systems on hardware that you own.

Regardless of the outcome, this could be THE decisive gaming-related legal battle of the century.

TonyTheTiger

01-12-2011, 02:26 PM

Sony's already got court documents out:

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/12/sony-begins-legal-action-against-ps3-hackers/

An expected but ultimately transparent delay tactic. Sony's actually playing this pretty smart. They're being quiet about it to not draw attention to the subject while at the same time trying to slow down the major players to buy themselves some time. They know offline they're sunk but they need time to figure out how to keep control of PSN because that's their ace.

Oobgarm

01-12-2011, 02:58 PM

An expected but ultimately transparent delay tactic. Sony's actually playing this pretty smart. They're being quiet about it to not draw attention to the subject while at the same time trying to slow down the major players to buy themselves some time. They know offline they're sunk but they need time to figure out how to keep control of PSN because that's their ace.

Given what's out there, I'd say whatever's on PSN currently is up for grabs. They might find a way to lock down future stuff. I dunno how, though...

eskobar

01-12-2011, 03:09 PM

Given what's out there, I'd say whatever's on PSN currently is up for grabs. They might find a way to lock down future stuff. I dunno how, though...

I understand that to lock down this you have to change the hardware ... it was a very low level discovery ....

I have friends actually running custom firmware with SNES emus .... the scene is acting really fast

TonyTheTiger

01-12-2011, 04:02 PM

Given what's out there, I'd say whatever's on PSN currently is up for grabs. They might find a way to lock down future stuff. I dunno how, though...

It's not so much about downloads on PSN but general PSN access. The best Sony can come out of this is the same way Microsoft did. You want to hack your console? Fine. But you will not be able to go online with it. That will be enough to deter a fairly large group from taking advantage of the exploits and would press people who do to buy a second console to keep stock.

But nobody knows if Sony has that kind of control over their service or if there is even an acceptable way to identify which consoles are compromised.

NayusDante

01-12-2011, 05:17 PM

NayusDante

01-12-2011, 05:27 PM

I have not modded mine (yet), but I'm eager to try out some of the signed homebrews. There's a small but growing list here:

http://www.ps3hax.net/2011/01/signed-ps3-homebrew-list-and-download/#axzz1ArXr0vwC

kupomogli

01-12-2011, 06:53 PM

I'll wait for awhile until we're sure to be safe from being banned, etc. I'll be using the system for homebrew only so I'd rather not get banned for something I can do on my PC.

Make sure to post if any full speed Wii emulators compatible with Move are released. I'll finally start picking up the Wii games I'm interested in. Even better if it has online which you can play like if you were playing on the Wii., Nintendo's servers and everything.

NayusDante

01-12-2011, 08:15 PM

Well, the rumor goes that the PS3 sends garbage data including bug/crash reports and a list of last run games as soon as it boots. With that, Sony would supposedly have a log of what homebrew you've been running. I think I'll be waiting until there's some confirmation on that rumor before I think about risking a ban - Netflix is kind of a big deal for me.

TonyTheTiger

01-13-2011, 01:41 AM

Sony has to be careful here. They don't want any compromised consoles getting on PSN. But if they can't do that completely they probably have two things they'd specifically target.

They don't want pirated games getting online and they don't want unauthorized software like cheat enablers screwing up the online experience for everybody else.

The dilemma? You don't want to make your service worse in the process of securing it. The more draconian their solution, the more likely they'll piss off legitimate users. People on NeoGAF are talking about how Sony could theoretically request certain information from the PS3 to determine it's status but the data transfer could make the sign in process a pain in the ass.

NayusDante

01-13-2011, 11:46 AM

His lawyer has prepared a response (http://psgroove.com/content.php?643-Geohot-Responds-to-Sony-s-Legal-Motion), sounds moderately solid.

neojapan

01-13-2011, 05:28 PM

my friend is already running final burn emu and others on his ps3 :)

NayusDante

01-13-2011, 05:38 PM

Geohot is going to be on Attack of the Show tonight, making AOTS possibly worth watching for once.

megasdkirby

01-13-2011, 05:40 PM

my friend is already running final burn emu and others on his ps3 :)

Does it run well?

kupomogli

01-13-2011, 07:32 PM

Geohot is going to be on Attack of the Show tonight, making AOTS possibly worth watching for once.

So they're promoting piracy now? I guess even they realize what a garbage tv show they are that doing something like this is the only way they'll get any viewers.

NayusDante

01-13-2011, 07:50 PM

NayusDante

01-13-2011, 08:25 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrz5rQAcCNY

Could this video be any crappier?

Edit: Here's a better one. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rYemPP5Q3A)

Leo_A

01-13-2011, 09:17 PM

The easy fix for this is to implement a CD key system. All they would do is include a unique license key with each game that links to your PSN account. At boot, the games would be required to authenticate their key. An internet connection would be required to start any game published after the change.

Of course, that would ELMINATE used game sales and rentals, unless they established some kind of key transfer service. I wouldn't complain if they managed to keep it consumer-friendly. It's sad, but that's really the only direction they can go now.

Far too many people don't have their console connected to a broadband internet connection for that to be a viable option anytime soon. They're not about to be cutting off a significant portion of their install base from buying future games.

For example, there are 50 million Xbox 360's out there and just 30 million Xbox Live users.

neojapan

01-13-2011, 10:13 PM

Does it run well?

yep, they do

kupomogli

01-14-2011, 04:55 AM

From what I remember, AOTS is just general tech. They cover phones and stuff, so I'd expect them to cover this sort of thing. I don't have a cablebox anymore, so I'm waiting for some clips to surface online of the interview. Not really sure what to expect, in regard to opinions on piracy. George has maintained an anti-piracy angle in his releases, but last time I checked, the AOTS hosts aren't the most wholesome individuals.

I watched the video, infact it's probably the most interesting thing I've seen on Attack of the Show. Geohots seems like a pretty nice guy and I'm all for anti piracy so I thought it was really cool when he mentioned that he made sure to allow homebrew to be playable on the system without the ability of pirated software to be played.

erehwon

01-18-2011, 09:28 PM

I'm interested to see where this goes. Unfortunately, it looks like the XBMC crew doesn't have any intention of doing a PS3 version.

NayusDante

01-18-2011, 10:01 PM

There are a few different CFW versions out now, but they're unreliable and likely to brick your console. Under no circumstances should anyone install them...

I'm still not messing with mine yet. Maybe when they bring Linux back, but not right now.

Oobgarm

01-19-2011, 06:31 AM

I'm interested to see where this goes. Unfortunately, it looks like the XBMC crew doesn't have any intention of doing a PS3 version.

http://www.filmnaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/rage_face.jpg

JSoup

01-19-2011, 02:35 PM

Far too many people don't have their console connected to a broadband internet connection for that to be a viable option anytime soon. They're not about to be cutting off a significant portion of their install base from buying future games.

For example, there are 50 million Xbox 360's out there and just 30 million Xbox Live users.

Does that number really hold up, given that there are people on their second, third and fourth 360 due to that whole RRoD thing?

kedawa

01-19-2011, 10:57 PM

That's a good point, but of the customers that we do repairs and mods for, I'd say at least one out of every four doesn't use xbox live at all.

NayusDante

01-21-2011, 12:32 PM

http://www.thinq.co.uk/2011/1/21/sony-rumoured-be-adding-serial-keys-ps3/

Phone activation is my guess for non-connected systems.

skaar

01-21-2011, 12:40 PM

They're utterly and completely boned on PS3.

JSoup

01-21-2011, 12:57 PM

http://www.thinq.co.uk/2011/1/21/sony-rumoured-be-adding-serial-keys-ps3/

Phone activation is my guess for non-connected systems.

As I understand it, adding keys won't solve this. They can't change the old one, as that would make all past games not work. Meaning if they add new ones, the hackers can use the old one locate and do hacker-like things to the new one.

kedawa

01-24-2011, 12:45 AM

I don't think that rumour is credible, but it wouldn't be the first time a company did something absolutely futile to fight piracy and alienated legitimate customers in the process.

kedawa

01-24-2011, 12:46 AM

As I understand it, adding keys won't solve this. They can't change the old one, as that would make all past games not work. Meaning if they add new ones, the hackers can use the old one locate and do hacker-like things to the new one.
Serial keys are not the same thing as encryption keys, so it's entirely possible from a technical standpoint.

JSoup

01-24-2011, 03:32 AM

*shrugs* I don't really know much about system modding. Internet people in the know seem to be sticking to that rumor, though. I've seen happy rumors about finally having a system to produce a decent Saturn emulator on.

MASTERWEEDO

01-30-2011, 11:27 AM

The 3.56 has been cracked already.

They got a TRO against GeoHot and are asking for him to turn over his computer....i dont think its gonna happen.

megasdkirby

01-30-2011, 11:47 AM

The 3.56 has been cracked already.

They got a TRO against GeoHot and are asking for him to turn over his computer....i dont think its gonna happen.

Wow, that was fast!

Not that I will hack my console (unless it drops in price so I can get another). But it's still good to see it progressing.

Flack

01-30-2011, 12:37 PM

3.56 appears to remove the ability to upgrade your hard drive.

All the 3.56 custom firmwares I've seen so far are fake. I'll have to check this morning's headlines.

megasdkirby

01-30-2011, 12:39 PM

3.56, unless you hack it, appears to remove the ability to upgrade your hard drive.

Wait...that means that if it dies, the end user cannot change or upgrade it?

Unfair! Why would Sony do this!?

Flack

01-30-2011, 12:44 PM

megasdkirby

01-30-2011, 01:08 PM

Because they're fucking Sony. I have already begun my "I'm not buying a PSP2 and neither should you" campaign.

EDIT: No one is sure if this is an error or an intentional omission at this point, but users of 3.56 can no longer upgrade their hard drives.

Thanks for the info.

If this is the case, then in a way it's a necessity to hack the console...only to be able to repair it.

It's insane that Sony would do this. Seems like another way to get the customer to pay for a repair they can do themselves. I just hope they release a "patch" fix, like they have done previously.

Frankie_Says_Relax

01-30-2011, 01:34 PM

Sheesh.

Before the conspiracy theories get out of hand, the hard drive upgrade problem is an iteration of a bug that previously popped up in an older firmware update.

This bug isn't currently affecting all PS3s, only certain skus that have a certain type of on-board flash memory.

This is very likely just a technical oversight. It was patched in the past and it'll be patched again.

It's not dramatically affecting everybody on the network so don't expect a patch tomorrow or anything, but just make it known to Sony that you're experiencing it IF you are and I'm sure it'll find its way to the proper people cuing up the next fixes for the next firmware.

megasdkirby

01-30-2011, 01:46 PM

This was regarding firmware 3.41, correct? I recall that the patch was an optional download, but later mandatory, correct?

Do you have a list of the SKU's affected?

Sabz5150

01-30-2011, 02:09 PM

3.56 appears to remove the ability to upgrade your hard drive.

I'll take Oob's route on this.

http://www.gifanatics.com/files/2ql5r8h.gif

NayusDante

01-30-2011, 02:28 PM

I just bought a new laptop, and was going to put the stock 160bg drive in my 60gb PS3 if I ever upgraded it to an SSD. This whole situation is getting out of hand, and I'm probably going to leave my PS3 on stock 3.55 for a while. After hearing some reports of legitimate consoles being bricked (particularly early hardware revisions), I'm in no hurry to update or jailbreak.

It's beginning to look like Geohot uncovered a real beast hiding inside Sony. The beast is not the keys, but rather it's their attitude and response.

Frankie_Says_Relax

01-30-2011, 03:45 PM

This was regarding firmware 3.41, correct? I recall that the patch was an optional download, but later mandatory, correct?

Do you have a list of the SKU's affected?

Only the following models have been affected:

Original PlayStation 3 Model:
� CECHH
� CECHJ
� CECHK
� CECHL
� CECHM
� CECHP
� CECHQ

Slim PlayStation 3 Model:

� CECH-20..A
� CECH-20..B
� CECH-21..A
� CECH-21..B
� CECH-250.A
� CECH-250.B
� CECH-250.A
� CECH-250.B
� CECH-251.A
� CECH-251.B

Also, people claim that EVERY SINGLE FIRMWARE UPDATE "bricks" their PS3, nothing new there and no empirical evidence with this update any more than any past update that that's the case.

megasdkirby

01-30-2011, 04:05 PM

� CECHL

Also, people claim that EVERY SINGLE FIRMWARE UPDATE "bricks" their PS3, nothing new there and no empirical evidence with this update any more than any past update that that's the case.

Damn it...I hope they create a patch later on, else I am screwed.

I've noticed that firmware that "bricks" a unit is usually one that was downloaded corrupted in the first place, which can occur due to a network error, HDD issue, etc. I always read it was best to download the firmware on a PC and save it to a USB and update that way.

Frankie_Says_Relax

01-30-2011, 04:33 PM

Damn it...I hope they create a patch later on, else I am screwed.

I've noticed that firmware that "bricks" a unit is usually one that was downloaded corrupted in the first place, which can occur due to a network error, HDD issue, etc. I always read it was best to download the firmware on a PC and save it to a USB and update that way.

That's the safest way to go.

Also not a bad idea to fully hard power down and then power up the console (in the case of the slim which doesn't have a toggle switch just pull the plug) and take any disc you may have in there out of the drive prior to running the firmware update.

No concrete evidece that those things do any damage, but they've been cited umpteen times in "bricked PS3" threads on the PS Forums.

kupomogli

01-30-2011, 07:22 PM

Sometimes the system bricking could be user error. Who knows if they turned off the system too soon, etc. I always check the option for the PS3 to power itself down after install.

megasdkirby

01-30-2011, 07:33 PM

Sometimes the system bricking could be user error. Who knows if they turned off the system too soon, etc. I always check the option for the PS3 to power itself down after install.

Reason why I have a UPS installed, just in case.

The same day I got my PS3, I had to update...midway during the update...BAM! Electricity was down. I thought it killed my console. Fortunately, everything progressed afterwards without a hitch.

Still, VERY scary moment. So I purchased a UPS so in case this ever happens, I can continue with battery power.

NayusDante

02-03-2011, 07:03 PM

So the 3.56 OFW apparently has what is being described as a rootkit, giving Sony the ability to scan and modify your console remotely. This is getting out of hand. I'm not concerned about CFW anymore, now I'm very disgusted by this apparent invasion of privacy.

No other company that I know of does this sort of thing without permission. Microsoft has the decency to ask you to opt-in to share app data in the installer for pretty much every piece of software they've put out in the past half decade.

Emuaust

02-04-2011, 01:38 AM

cough WGA cough cough

kedawa

02-06-2011, 02:32 PM

Can 3.56 be downgraded with a jig?

NayusDante

02-06-2011, 02:33 PM

I would assume that since the firmware update can be signed now, you would be able to install 3.56 CFW on a 3.56 OFW console. I could be wrong though.

Flack

02-06-2011, 04:10 PM

Can 3.56 be downgraded with a jig?

Not yet, I don't think. Throwing a machine at 3.56 in developer mode, under the wrong circumstances, can get it stuck there. I don't think it's something Sony did intentionally; I think it's more that the tools people are releasing only work with certain firmwares, and probably break things in other ones.

Right now, for those "playing around", the safest thing is probably to stay at 3.55 and use one of those PC-based proxy programs to fool PSN into thinking you are running 3.56. AFAIK, that still works.

If all the rumors are true about the 3.56 rootkit are true (and I'm just going by what news sites are saying; I haven't disassembled the code and looked at it personally), then it will allow Sony to execute remotely while users are connected to PSN. I don't think there's anything illegal about it (you probably grant them the right to do it in the EULA, if I had to guess) but it's still pretty tacky. The PS3 has long had the ability to "scan" itself for modified files; I suspect whatever they added in 3.56 is probably an upgrade to that.

If nothing, gamers tend to have short memories. All the news sites condemning Sony for their heavy-handed decisions right now will be praising them during the next round of console releases. The same gamers who are bricking their consoles right now will be in line for the PS4 when it comes out.

kedawa

02-06-2011, 05:21 PM

I'm going to assume you meant 'condemning', not 'condoning'.

Flack

02-06-2011, 06:00 PM

I'm going to assume you meant 'condemning', not 'condoning'.

Correct, and corrected.

c0ldb33r

02-06-2011, 08:49 PM

So if this rootkit scans and detects something that it doesn't like... then what?

NayusDante

02-06-2011, 08:53 PM

So if this rootkit scans and detects something that it doesn't like... then what?

From what we've heard, it deletes it. No one has been banned yet, as far as I know. Doesn't mean they won't suddenly ban people at a later date.

kupomogli

02-06-2011, 08:56 PM

Does anyone know if they're banning for game sharing if it's between two people only? I've heard they've started to ban accounts for game sharing.

NayusDante

02-08-2011, 09:49 AM

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/02/sony-lawsuit-factory/

Things are getting crazy.

kedawa

02-08-2011, 11:48 AM

I really wish the exploit was as damaging to their business as they make it out to be.

megasdkirby

02-08-2011, 11:59 AM

I really wish the exploit was as damaging to their business as they make it out to be.

Wow, Sony is sure pissed about this. I wonder what will happen if the case is won by the defendant?

TonyTheTiger

02-08-2011, 12:34 PM

Wow, Sony is sure pissed about this. I wonder what will happen if the case is won by the defendant?

A precedent similar to the mobile phone one. If Sony loses then these exploits will no longer fall under the DMCA, further weakening it. Sony and any other company could still go after actual pirates but they won't easily be able to stop exploits in general through the legal system.

NayusDante

02-17-2011, 02:19 PM

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/02/16/official-statement-regarding-ps3-circumvention-devices-and-pirated-software/

If you are found to be using a "circumvention device," (read: custom firmware), then your access to PSN is to be terminated.

I think it's fair, and I'm not going to complain. Even if it's legal for the consumer, it's Sony's right to manage access to their network. My console has been at 3.56 for a week now, because I need my Netflix. I have an HDMI cable running to my PC to my TV anyway, so homebrew on PS3 would have just been a novelty for me.

When the PS3 is replaced, however, I don't see anything discouraging us from installing CFW. Even now, there are plenty of people who don't give a crap about PSN, and won't lose anything by installing CFW. This is essentially a temporary fix that will keep them afloat through this generation, until they can try again with a more secure platform. On that note, I don't think the PS4 will run Linux at the beginning.