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Hackers release custom PS3 firmware 
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Legend

Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:30 pm
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Following the team that tore apart the PlayStation 3's few remaining mod defences this weekend, hackers have released the first custom PS3 firmware.

It's something that's been made possible thanks to hacker George 'Geohot' Hotz's decrypting of the PlayStation 3's "root key", which basically leaves Sony's system wide open against the running of unauthorised code.

These new tools from KaKaRoTo, allowing users to create their own firmware using Linux and a bit of coding knowledge, won't lead to anything too dodgy just yet. KaKaRoTo says "this custom firmware is really meant for future homebrew installation", and "will not allow piracy."

The exposure of the PlayStation 3's root key itself, however, is threatening to Sony as far piracy is concerned.

A PS3 Jailbreak was indeed released late last year and allowed for the running of pirate games, but it was restricted in its access to the console's inner working limiting its uses.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/ar ... ?id=282117

Sony did well to last this long really. It's also been suggested in some forums that removing 'Other OS' spurred a few people on... :|

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Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:46 pm
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Legend

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Similarly, another hacking team by the alias of 'fail0verflow' has decrypted and reconstructed the tools needed to sign code in the exact same only Sony should be able to, and released these tools on the internet. This means that any unofficial executable file created for PS3 can be made to appear as a Sony-authorised program even to entirely unmodified PS3s.

What's more, these signature keys operate at the core of PS3, meaning this cannot be fixed simply by releasing a new firmware. Sony, to put it bluntly, has lost this fight.


http://www.computerandvideogames.com/ar ... ?id=281838

Does that mean the PS3 would be more open to trojans etc? :?

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Tue Jan 11, 2011 12:06 am
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Legend
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pcernie wrote:
Does that mean the PS3 would be more open to trojans etc? :?

I would imagine yes. The same techniques could be used by malware writers to install their software.

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Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:04 am
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