Technological discussion on PS3 security and crack.*

What are the chances that the PSN titles are in danger of piracy now?

Someone pays for Flower for example, strips protection and distribute it for the rest of mankind? J-TAGged X360 consoles already have piracy for all XBLA titles.
 
From demonhades.org:


I'm still baffled why sony used a USB boot, they could have used a network boot with a challenge/response mechanism from the servers.

As strange as it may sound in the current context, usb dongles are much more secure than a network authentication.

What's really strange is that there's no dongle validation that times out and requires a secure reauthentication. Then again, maybe there is. ;)
 
What are the chances that the PSN titles are in danger of piracy now? [Someone pays for Flower for example, strips protection and distribute it for the rest of mankind?]

Sh*t, your question tells me that no, developers can't strip protected games and protected game saves -- unless perhaps they belong to the developers.
 
btw, this hack allow any unsigned code to run on "game" privilage? not just limited to BD game?
if yes, wow. i hope PS3 will get awesome homebrews just like PS2

love SMS for PS2 :D if there any homebrew like that for PS3, i will gladly help when i have ps3.
 
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some are reporting that this happens before syscon kicks in. If true then sony can't do anything to it.
What's with your SONY IS DOOOOMZORED!!!!111ONE! attitude? It's been a constant thread running through all your posts on this topic.

If they can't stop the dongle with current firmware they'll just issue a new mandatory firmware super quick that can. USB devices can't do shit until the host system starts talking to them. All Sony has to do to shut this thing down is to not initialize the USB ports until they got all their protection stuff in place already.

So there'll be a few thousand PS3s in the wild that will be exploitable. Big deal. The key here (heh, no pun intended) however is this device will never be able to conquer Sony's world. And anyone who bought one better grow eyes in the back of their necks, coz I bet Sony will release packs of attack lawyers to hunt down and sue anyone who did.
 
So there'll be a few thousand PS3s in the wild that will be exploitable. Big deal.

There is a lot of PS3 in the market already. Ppl just need to stop updating their console, and consoles with preloaded safe FW will come in a few months.
 
I am not a technical guy and in fact sometimes I wonder why I keep posting and typing in this whole technical forum, if not for some nice people on these forums.

However, it's painfully obvious for me that Sony made a really big mistake with this USB thing.

What's the point of all the security measures they have taken to protect their property including the setting up of that supervisor -or hypervisor, can't remember exactly- system that works so well?

After what happened with the PSP their last attempt to stop piracy is going to become unsuccessful if there isn't a solution to stop this USB thing from working.

They have an amazing method to protect the data, and then they let something as silly as this one slip. :???: It makes no sense allowing people to use something so replicable and easy to hack, it seems, allowing full access to the console.

The only advantage I see to this is that, like some people pointed out before, the homebrew will be possible. Besides that old PS3s will exponentially increase their value, pretty much like many people just wanted to buy the Xbox because it provided broad homebrew possibilities, which was good.
 
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There is a lot of PS3 in the market already. Ppl just need to stop updating their console
"Ppl" don't know yet that they have to make sure to not update their consoles, because they don't spend all day on web forums looking for this kind of obscure news. So they're going to update their console without knowing they shouldn't, and then they'll have missed their chance to pirate games.

Anyway, most "ppl" don't want to lose network connectivity on their consoles, so will therefore update anyway.

Also, I'm pretty confident the source of these USB keys is going to dry up real fast, so whatever supply exists now or in the near future is going to be all there is, particulary if Sony gets hold of whomever is behind this scheme.

Impact will therefore be extremely limited overall.
 

It looks like a USB controller chip and not much else.

Also, I'm pretty confident the source of these USB keys is going to dry up real fast, so whatever supply exists now or in the near future is going to be all there is, particulary if Sony gets hold of whomever is behind this scheme.

Impact will therefore be extremely limited overall.

That would be a first in the history of piracy. Platform holders can only act against the suppliers, the source will be in a country over which they have little or no legal recourse.
 
"Ppl" don't know yet that they have to make sure to not update their consoles, because they don't spend all day on web forums looking for this kind of obscure news.

Anyway, most "ppl" don't want to lose network connectivity on their consoles, so will therefore update anyway.

Also, I'm pretty confident the source of these USB keys is going to dry up real fast, so whatever supply exists now or in the near future is going to be all there is, particulary if Sony gets hold of whomever is behind this scheme.

Impact will therefore be extremely limited overall.
They are being sold on the internet, so it's not that easy to control the sales. Besides that, there will be stores where they will mod the console for a price I think. It's very possible old PS3s will be associated with their homebrew capabilities.

It's not an absurd thing to happen, it may be well very real. My only doubt remains on the nature of the firmware system Sony are using. Can pirates keep a backup copy of a previous firmware allowing this USB pendrive the same privileges, and install it over an updated one?

If so, old PS3s could become homebrew systems (not sure about the new ones though).

It is true Sony might feel little sympathy towards the greater part of PS3 pirates if this works, but maybe some people will use this only because of the multimedia capabilities.
 
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That would be a first in the history of piracy. Platform holders can only act against the suppliers, the source will be in a country over which they have little or no legal recourse.
Aslong as those USB Sticks are selling for 160€ I dont think they will spread far and wide. Might be that they are supply-limited or they dont expect sales in big numbers for other reasons.
 
They're selling for that price because they are looking to maximise their return before the cheap knock-offs inevitably appear. You've seen the internals... it's just a single chip that will doubtless get copied in no time. This is their window of opportunity to make serious cash.
 
Aslong as those USB Sticks are selling for 160€ I dont think they will spread far and wide. Might be that they are supply-limited or they dont expect sales in big numbers for other reasons.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who will be more than willing to pay what is effectively less than the cost of 3 games.

It'll still only be a small percentage of the PS3 fanbase though. But that would be the same if the dongle only cost €50 or €30. It was, I believe, easy enough to mod a 360, but still the vast majority of the 360 fanbase didn't bother and preferred to buy their games.
 
They're selling for that price because they are looking to maximise their return before the cheap knock-offs inevitably appear. You've seen the internals... it's just a single chip that will doubtless get copied in no time. This is their window of opportunity to make serious cash.

i see an easy soft mod like this having the potential to even reach DS piracy levels. with these dongles probably mass produced down the line for $10.
 
They are being sold on the internet, so it's not that easy to control the sales. Besides that, there will be stores where they will mod the console for a price I think. It's very possible old PS3s will be associated with their homebrew capabilities.

There's a difference between most other modchips in that this doesn't seem to exist in any gray area. It's out and out illegal, at least until someone discovers how to make one of these dongles that isn't the result of theft (apparently) or copyright violation.
 
Why even bother creating a top secure console when you install you own god damn back door.

It´s painfully obvious that Sony actually lets a USB device reboot the PS3, that is, they let the PS3 execute a signed program from the USB port. I could understand if the PS3 developer machines were able to do this, but consumer machines?

Somewhere they most have expected to have games on USB keys or USB hard drives.
 
There's a difference between most other modchips in that this doesn't seem to exist in any gray area. It's out and out illegal, at least until someone discovers how to make one of these dongles that isn't the result of theft (apparently) or copyright violation.
In that case Sony might be reporting millions of people soon. The hacking into the PS3 using this system is very easy and quick.

It's so fast judging from the videos that you don't need to open the console so the number of buyers is potentially and extremely high, it will become yet more complicated if there are chinese versions, which they will.

People are asking others not to be in a rush, and wait some time so the very "doormats" and naive people do their work as betatesters, getting slashed and strained, doing the dirty work. So while those called mugs start testing things Sony will have to fill quite a few report documents....
 
In that case Sony might be reporting millions of people soon. The hacking into the PS3 using this system is very easy and quick.

No one said Sony would report actual users. If Sony has the ability to ban consoles from PSN, they'll do that, and they'll probably be checking and voiding warranties for people who have this installed. What they will do, though, is go after suppliers because they're easier targets. They'll push for the courts to place a ban on the sales of these devices and push it all into the black market. People will still sell them, but they'll do their best to make it a real trade-off. And meanwhile, at some point this won't work on new consoles anymore. And this is independent of whether Sony can block this for existing consoles.
 
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