PS3 Cracked?

[ÆON]

A new hack is purportedly hitting the scene in a week or so that could let PS3 owners dump borrowed games onto the system's hard drive--or even an external drive--and play them. No optical discs, just straight gaming from an HD. Needless to say, this is a hack many users have been waiting for and one Sony has been trying to prevent.
The hack, which some are calling a jailbreak, similar to software that allows non-Apple-approved apps to run on the iPhone and iPad, comes in the form of a USB dongle called PS Jailbreak. When inserted into a PS3's USB port and booted, the console runs the software on the stick. The software installs the jailbreak that turns off many of Sony's security measures, but it keeps your valid warranty seal intact and won't brick your console, the makers say.
Besides the ability to copy and play games from the HD, the jailbreak is said to allow non-Sony-approved software, including homebrew apps, to run. Even online gaming is supported, and early reports state that games running from the HD run faster than the same games from the optical disc drive.
Sony, of course, won't like this news (we've contacted the company and will update this post as soon we hear back) and is likely already working on a patch to its next firmware upgrade that disables the dongle. The good news for jailbreakers is the software the jailbreak runs stops Sony from pushing a system update. This means that as long as users don't manually upgrade their PS3's OS, the jailbreak will work.
The dongle is available for preorder right now for $150, according to Ars Technica, with a ship date on or about August 27. While the video below from OzModChips.com allegedly shows the software running--and it looks like it is, to be sure--we won't be convinced this is a real PS3 jailbreak until we've tried the unit out ourselves.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20014184-1.html

Pretty interesting stuff. Will be looking forward to Sony's response from this. It seems to me though, if this PS Jailbreak can actually do what it says, all Sony needs to do is update their firmware to block the crack since everything is software based.

 

[KALEL114]

Yeah it seems to either turn or trick your PS3 in to thinking it is a Debug system. I would think it would be easy to fix through an update. Sony has not responded yet though. The other thing is, if a game gets an update, you have to put the disc in to get that update with this hack.

 

[ÆON]

Update on PS Jailbreak and what Sony may be planning for anyone that uses this crack.

Are you dreaming of jailbreaking that PS3 of yours with OzMod's long-awaited USB stick? 

Well, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it seems as if Sony may be capable of detecting PSjb systems on its Playstation network.
According to SKFUand RichDevX of PS3 Hax, the backup manager game ID (LAUN-12345) could theoretically be logged and recorded by Sony when connected to the PSN.

"This would obviously allow Sony to see who would be using the illegal PSjb/clone and we could very well see ban waves similar to the Xbox 360," speculated "Pirate" of PS3 Hax.

"[Now], Sony does currently ban PSN/consoles that results in the 8002A227 error code...[So], as people start getting their PSjb in the next few weeks, we highly advise that you do not log into PSN while using the backup manager, which means no playing online."
As TG Daily previously reported, the PS Jailbreak allows PS3 owners to run back-up copies of games and pirated titles.
In addition, the hack supposedly works with firmware 3.41 on all PlayStation 3 models, including the recently introduced PS3 Slim.

http://www.tgdaily.com/games-and-entertainment-features/51210-can-sony-detect-jailbroken-ps3s

 

[TheBat812]

is it legal for them to make this kind of stuff?

 

[The Squirrel]

Yes! Let's all celebrate at a new way to steal games! /sarcasm

 

[Cth]

I honestly think the cracking community wouldn't have pursued it as hard if Sony hadn't over-reacted with the Linux/OtherOS thing.

That's what's going to be interesting about things in the near future.. to see how they react this time. If they suddenly offer in game soundtracks and in game chat to entice people, it can be spun that they purposely withheld things for a scenario like this. Previously, people presumed those would be featured reserved for PSN+ to get people to sign up for the service.

Anyways, most people I'd imagine would be willing to trade off the online gaming thing (especially since it's free).

Two other things worth noting. If the crackers get someone like Dark Alex or Geohot interested, Sony could be facing another PSP situation with having to constantly try to revise the firmware to keep ahead of things.

The next NPD or two should be interesting as well, if it takes off. Some people who have been on the fence may buy a system for this purpose -- one to play online, one for offline (or for first time purchasers who are enticed by the idea of "free" games) Both the Wii and 360 have had to deal with it for years now and it's helped both to some degree, while being a constant thorn in both of their sides.

 

[KALEL114]

The hacking community has been trying feverishly to crack the PS3. The closest anyone got was Geohot and even his hack was very basic using the Other OS option. Then he retired from hacking all together. I wouldn't call removing the option an over-reaction. They were just trying to protect their product from piracy.

All they are going to do now is update the FW to alter the boot sequence. The PSP is not a very good comparison. It's security level and build pales in comparison to PS3's, because the PS3 was made to always be online.

Maybe I'm wrong, but this seems like an easy fix and the high price for the device indicates that the hackers know this as well. It's a big cash grab.

 

[The Guardian]

DIE PIRATES DIE!!! *Downloads leaked Halo Reach*



Kidding, I don't even have a 360 lol!!!

 

[Cth]

The hacking community has been trying feverishly to crack the PS3. The closest anyone got was Geohot and even his hack was very basic using the Other OS option. Then he retired from hacking all together. I wouldn't call removing the option an over-reaction. They were just trying to protect their product from piracy.

I disagree. No one has really been trying to actively crack it like the other systems until recently. Geohot's interest and the public showdown with Sony inspired a lot more interest in things I'd say.

Geohot was the only one who came close and yes retired because of all the people bugging him about it.

Sony, IMO, did over-react since only one person was capable of remotely being close to a hack and even then it'd have been a while before they could do a custom firmware, etc.

Overnight, they yanked it, which caused more problems than it solved. It was a total over-reaction that still causes problems.

All they are going to do now is update the FW to alter the boot sequence. The PSP is not a very good comparison. It's security level and build pales in comparison to PS3's, because the PS3 was made to always be online.

Not everyone puts their PS3 online.

You could say that the 360 was designed to be online and people still keep theirs offline whenever there's a firmware update.

Yes, the PSP security level "pales in comparison" but it's still applicable to see how they treat the problem and how crackers have continually been able to bypass things.

Part of Microsoft's success with it (to a degree) is not telling everyone about these security holes. Sony immediately shuts down PSN or removes features at the first sign of a possible problem which essentially says, "Yes, you're on the right path" to the crackers.

Maybe I'm wrong, but this seems like an easy fix and the high price for the device indicates that the hackers know this as well. It's a big cash grab.

It's absolutely a cash grab, but the damage is done. The more the community is aware of how the system works, the more opportunities like this are likely to arise.

The problem with the easy fix is that since the Linux fiasco, that community has been overly cautious when it comes to exploits. People aren't immediately getting online to update firmwares. Unless Sony goes the Wii route and starts putting mandatory firmware patches on their games, all they have to do is stay offline. Even then, crackers are writing their own code to bypass those and ripping them from discs.

Anyways, I understand Sony's quick action THIS time around, but that Linux thing really caused more problems than it solved.

 

[Donut]

On Monday, August 30th: there will be a 13-hour PSN maintenance. I wonder why & I wonder what they will remove this time

 

[KALEL114]

I disagree. No one has really been trying to actively crack it like the other systems until recently. Geohot's interest and the public showdown with Sony inspired a lot more interest in things I'd say.

Geohot was the only one who came close and yes retired because of all the people bugging him about it.

You honestly believe that the hacker community were not trying to hack it since launch? A system that was reported as unhackable? This a community that has had hacked every system that has been released since the NES. Sorry, but I think you are wrong here. Geohot coming on board only brought more press to the situation, because of how famous of a hacker he is.

Sony, IMO, did over-react since only one person was capable of remotely being close to a hack and even then it'd have been a while before they could do a custom firmware, etc.

Overnight, they yanked it, which caused more problems than it solved. It was a total over-reaction that still causes problems.

That one person is a world renown hacker and Sony understood that. They needed to act, because they knew he was on to something and if anyone could take it all the way, he could. And since when was 1 month later equal to over night? He released the hack in the middle of Feb. and the FW was released April 1st. I don't work for Sony, but I'm sure they tried to find a way to patch it via FW and couldn't. The removal itself was not as big of deal to me, since no one I know even used the option. It's not like it gimped the system at all. In fact I bet a ton of people didn't even realize it was an option.

Not everyone puts their PS3 online.

You could say that the 360 was designed to be online and people still keep theirs offline whenever there's a firmware update.

Yes, the PSP security level "pales in comparison" but it's still applicable to see how they treat the problem and how crackers have continually been able to bypass things.

Part of Microsoft's success with it (to a degree) is not telling everyone about these security holes. Sony immediately shuts down PSN or removes features at the first sign of a possible problem which essentially says, "Yes, you're on the right path" to the crackers.

The point is that you hardly use your PSP online opposed to the PS3. The PS3 was designed to be used online, regardles if people use it for online. It's security is apples to oranges in comparison to PSP. MS has had zero success in combating piracy. Plain and simple. Whether they discuss holes publicly or not, both of their systems are hacked. The PS3 up to now has not been. If geohot had not tried to hack the Linux, it would not have forced Sony's hand. Not sure how they are the bad guys in all of this.

It's absolutely a cash grab, but the damage is done. The more the community is aware of how the system works, the more opportunities like this are likely to arise.

The problem with the easy fix is that since the Linux fiasco, that community has been overly cautious when it comes to exploits. People aren't immediately getting online to update firmwares. Unless Sony goes the Wii route and starts putting mandatory firmware patches on their games, all they have to do is stay offline. Even then, crackers are writing their own code to bypass those and ripping them from discs.

Anyways, I understand Sony's quick action THIS time around, but that Linux thing really caused more problems than it solved.

I have already addressed the Linux removal in this post, so I'll leave it as it is. If people want to use the hack, they can, but they will most likely have to sacrifice playing online. In this generation online play is essential. Like it or not. To get the full experience of games these days, you need to go online. I guess we have to see how this all plays out. I'm sure Sony is working on a FW update and I could see them taking other measures in the future. If they can't, then like you said, I can see a small rise in sytem sales.

 

[CASTER]

Very cool!

 

[Cth]

You honestly believe that the hacker community were not trying to hack it since launch? A system that was reported as unhackable? This a community that has had hacked every system that has been released since the NES. Sorry, but I think you are wrong here. Geohot coming on board only brought more press to the situation, because of how famous of a hacker he is.

As serious as all the other devices? Yep.

Reason #1 - Blu-Ray disc size

Reason #2 - In the beginning, the PS3 was largely utilized for movie viewing. Modders had an olive branch in the form of Linux. The "big games" didn't come until later, so there wasn't as much of a rush to crack it open.

That one person is a world renown hacker and Sony understood that. They needed to act, because they knew he was on to something and if anyone could take it all the way, he could. And since when was 1 month later equal to over night? He released the hack in the middle of Feb. and the FW was released April 1st. I don't work for Sony, but I'm sure they tried to find a way to patch it via FW and couldn't. The removal itself was not as big of deal to me, since no one I know even used the option. It's not like it gimped the system at all. In fact I bet a ton of people didn't even realize it was an option.

If they couldn't patch it via FW (highly unlikely) then it shows that Sony heads were really incompetent. The whole reason Linux was included was an attempt to bypass taxes by claiming the PS3 was a computer.

It may not have been a big deal for you, but it was a shot fired across the bow of every cracker who suddenly got re-interested.

Besides, every box had it listed as an advertised feature. In some countries that's fraud.

This debate has been done to death as you know.

The point is that you hardly use your PSP online opposed to the PS3. The PS3 was designed to be used online, regardles if people use it for online. It's security is apples to oranges in comparison to PSP. MS has had zero success in combating piracy. Plain and simple. Whether they discuss holes publicly or not, both of their systems are hacked. The PS3 up to now has not been. If geohot had not tried to hack the Linux, it would not have forced Sony's hand. Not sure how they are the bad guys in all of this.

MS has had huge success combating piracy. Plain and simple. Sales even show that.

No one's saying Sony is the bad guy, but they've been pretty heavy handed and over reactionary for a supposed secure system.

Removing features causing potential lawsuits over something that even geohot said wouldn't matter without someone working on custom firmware (which he wasn't interested in doing so).

I have already addressed the Linux removal in this post, so I'll leave it as it is. If people want to use the hack, they can, but they will most likely have to sacrifice playing online. In this generation online play is essential. Like it or not. To get the full experience of games these days, you need to go online. I guess we have to see how this all plays out. I'm sure Sony is working on a FW update and I could see them taking other measures in the future. If they can't, then like you said, I can see a small rise in sytem sales.

Like it or not, there's still a sizeable portion of people who don't care one iota about online play. It's not essential.

I love it, but there's plenty of people out there who aren't interested.

The only thing that online is essential for, are the firmware updates and patches to games.

Anyways, you're right, we'll see how things play out. It'll be interesting to see if they dangle features as incentive for upgrading to the new firmware.

 

[The Squirrel]

Being able to continue to play online is the only incentive I need. I hope they do keep people from being able to crack it for as long as possible.

 

[Cth]

Sony Halts Sales of PS3 Jailbreak Dongle

Online Australian retailer Quantronics has been ordered by the Federal Court of Australia, Victoria District Registry on the 26 August 2010 to halt PS JailBreak PS3 modchip sales and distribution." The court order (.DOC) indicates this injunction will hold until a hearing on August 31. Another reader points out related news that a German website claims to have reverse engineered the hack, finding it to be a newly-developed exploit rather than a clone of Sony's JIG module (original in German). Sony has already been banning users of the modchip when detected.

Numerous clones have started to start up as well.

 

[Cth]

With PSGroove being actively worked on, there's no need to buy a modchip.

The next month is going to be interesting to watch now that it's being ripped wide open.

 

[Timstuff]

I want to see if this opens the door for the return of PS2 compatibility in newer models. This could actually be good for the PS3 since it could force Sony to add PS2 compatibility to newer systems via firmware update in order to deter people from one of the mod chip's key selling points.

 

[Cth]

Looks like they're taking it seriously.. new required firmware is out that disables the USB ports.

I'd be interested in the stats on who upgrades and who doesn't.

I'd imagine the cracking scene starts keeping things quiet since they practically broadcast everything they were doing this time around.

 

[Donut]

Whats next they disable DVD or Blu-Ray playback ?

 

[KALEL114]

They did not disable the USB ports. I'm charging my controller as I type. Sony isn't saying what they did, but it has blocked all forms of the Jailbreak. So far.

 

[Cth]

In terms of setting it up as a usb hub or something. It still retains functionality required to charge the controllers.

Hard to tell exactly since both parties are finally being smart about letting the other know what they're up to.

First smart move Sony's done during all of this.

 

[KALEL114]

You need the USB ports to back up your system and to transfer game saves via USB/external HDD and transfer music/videos/pictures. They did not and will not disable that. Either you disable the ports all together or you don't. I don't think you can pick and chose what the USB can do.

Edit: I hooked up both a USB drive and external HDD and they work just as they have always done.

 

[Cth]

Edit: I hooked up both a USB drive and external HDD and they work just as they have always done.

Some people had issues connecting their external drives.

Again, until more info is known, everyone's guessing.

 

[KALEL114]

Have not read that anywhere. Could you direct me to a link? Thanks in advance.

 

[Paroxysm]

I still plan on Jailbreaking my old PS3, I just won't download the firmware update. t: