Hackers have already moved to crack open new PS3 firmware that's not even been out for a day.
However, within hours of the new update's release, Wii hacker Youness Alaoui, also known as KaKaRoToKs, announced on Twitter that he'd successfully unpacked the firmware and published its signing keys, opening the door for new custom firmware to be created that would mimic the latest update and allow hacked PS3s to regain access to PSN.
On the plus side for Sony, it today won a court case against the man largely responsible for the PS3's security breach, George 'Geohot' Hotz, who was hit with a temporary restraining order preventing him from partaking in any PS3 hacking activities.
Comments
57 comments so far...
markyR on 28 Jan '11 said:
I fully believe today's release was Sony just testing things, they released it to see what would happen. They are not stupid and it's obvious now that the key is in the open.
I heard somewhere that the Geohot hack etc was only made possible after some lovely people broke into Sony labs and stole some equipment, without which this Geo t**t or anybody else would never have been able to hack it? Wouldn't surprise me, they are low life scum after all.
Imaduck on 28 Jan '11 said:
Roflcopter
User75 on 28 Jan '11 said:
thanks alot geohot. now well b getting these every month, instead of patches with actual value.
nyxx on 28 Jan '11 said:
@ MarkyR
That's obviously wrong. Team failOverflow hacked the PS3 and explained their methods in a 45 minute long presentation at a hacking conference. GeoHotz, who watched the conference, took note of their methods and released the keys to the public. He didn't fly all the way to Japan and break into a lab like you're suggesting
r35gtr on 28 Jan '11 said:
Why is this site so against hackers? Im sort of poupler for "hacking" on xbox its not hard and if you know what your doing pretty hard the real reason why its done is cause most games get boring after a while they all not game wreaking like for fallout 3 and nv there are mods created by people to fix little bugs with the games and add cool stuff like adjustible scopes on snipers. On Mw2 you can do forge which involes placing care packages around the map to make bridges ramps barriers and what not. On Cod4 you can do promod like on pc.Your all complaining saying its some yank ps3 modding was started buy a 27 year old from the center off leeds.Gta mods are being done buy a guy from Tamworth. Hacking anit bad its doin stuff to a game to make it more enjoyerable. Alot of you probly have iphones which you have modded by putting a case on it to make it luk better same thing or you have got a tatto or a pircing or had your hair colour changed thats the same as me hacking or modding a game there are people who take it to far by hostbooting or deranking but these are the people who ruin it for people which is why so many people dont like modders
Immortal on 28 Jan '11 said:
yeah f**k you hackers!
them f**kin updates take ages!
not to mention more console life their taking up!
heas92 on 28 Jan '11 said:
i want all hackers that do it to favor piracy to die or at least get sent to prison i'm not againts hacking to add content to their games but f**k piracy if they bought a ps3 means they can also buy games for it
markyR on 28 Jan '11 said:
I'm not suggesting anything, I just heard it somewhere, and it's not like Geohotz respects any of us, Sony, anyone else, the law.
And he also hacked it the first time which cause the Linux feature to be removed in the first place and as a result of what he did people tried to make money by selling the hack on USB sticks, so someone was trying to make money from hacking thanks to him, I bet he got some cash for it.
All hackers are scum IMO. Their is not ONE good reason to do it. Not one.
StokedUp on 28 Jan '11 said:
Is it just me or any of you finding these "hacking" stories just old and boring now? Nothing big is ever going to come from them anyway. It will never ever be like the days when people were selling playstaion1 games for 3quid on every corner of every street.
NullError on 28 Jan '11 said:
You where the one who said, hence you where suggesting it. As for respecting Sony, no one should. It's a faceless corporation which has it self been found guilty of stealing other peoples works and selling them, as well as out right breaking peoples property in their blind ineffective attempt to control what you can do with YOUR purchased goods. They have done nothing worthy of anything but out right contempt. The same goes with the law, the DMCA is a bad law designed to limit what you can do to your own property.
That's sounds like Sony's problem. Sony didn't like that people where using their hardware how they wanted to and as such tried to kill it. It sounds to me like Sony is the one who over reacted and should be punished, not Geohotz.
And you have proof of this accusation? Otherwise this is a lie and is close to (if not out right) libel.
Ah, well then it's nice to know people like Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak and Linus Torvald are all scum. After all these old school hackers haven't done anything good for the world after all.
How about because you own the equipment and should be allowed to do with your property as you wish? This is YOUR console. Sony no longer owns it once you buy it. By what rights do they have to tell you that you can't use it how you wish?
Quit being such a tool.
voodoo341 on 28 Jan '11 said:
It isn't just you. It's strange though how these stories attract so many 'recently joined' members all spouting the exact same rubbish!
Athrun888 on 28 Jan '11 said:
To be honest I agree that nothing good comes from hacking, all it does is make the companies like Sony get paranoid, and then eventually go backwards and start region locking stuff for no reason and so forth, the more the hackers do their thing the more Sony and Nintendo are going to make things rougher for the average consumer.
Ali_ on 28 Jan '11 said:
For some reason, the final paragraph of the article seems to be missing:
Having hacked the new PS3 firmware, the hackers revealed that their next project would be their toughest yet. Firstly, they are attempting to break through the P.U.B.E.R.T.Y firewall before trying to secure the ultimate accolade, a "GiRlFr13nD". Most experts predict, however, that most will be unable to complete the initial requirement of "getting a life".
Troo Gamer on 28 Jan '11 said:
No mention to the fact that Sony have blacklisted the keys and basically from now on bar the temporary workaround they can now detect you and block PSN access. My console is back to normal as its not worth it and i enjoy the games PSN has to offer and buying a second console while viable is too long winded
Ais4Audi on 28 Jan '11 said:
Yeah these tards just disrupt everyonelses fun, having to wait at least half and hour before with these now to come weekly patches playing is a pain in the arse.. Thxs Geoholt.
slashdevslashnul on 28 Jan '11 said:
Quit shoving this 'holier than thou' act on us mate.
They patch to secure the system to prevent piracy, not because they don't want to allow you to use the console for you're own purposes.
They even went to the extent of allowing people to replace the hard drives themselves and even install you're own OS alongside the PS one.
We lost that because hackers wanted that little bit more access to allow pirated games.
We need to encourage companies to take the steps that Sony did with the PS3, not bite them.
Mmmmgrolsch on 28 Jan '11 said:
I hope to god Sony don't bother with any more of these 'security updates'
accept defeat Sony its over. It's going to become irritating if they do release any more.
NoobDefence on 28 Jan '11 said:
Hate to tell the "it's over" guys that it's not in a horribly smug fashion but this is just a taste. Activision/Treyarch it seems have there own banhammer in play to stop you on COD servers for example.
WARNING : FOLLOWING VIDEO AUDIO CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu3ksGgP9S4
GaryStew1980 on 28 Jan '11 said:
Sony put out an invitation for this to happen when they boasted that their console couldn't be hacked. What did they expect to happen? Maybe you should get off your high horse and ask Sony how this happened and why haven't they done more to stop it. The PS3 has had issue after issue, after issue, it is clear that the console has it's flaws maybe rather than taking these guys to court they should work on the security and quality of their console and service. Sick of the little whiners on this site about hackers. Like an earlier poster said most of the big developers made their name as hackers in the past. As for the first post i think you are giving Sony way too much credit there buddy, the only thing they can do right at the moment is pump out some pretty fantastic exclusives like Uncharted 3 and Killzone 3(I hope anyway). Their online service is terrible, its clear the SDK they have leaves a lot to be desired considering the Multiplatform games are almost always better on 360. Dont hold out much faith for the PSP2 either.
El Mag on 28 Jan '11 said:
Sony put his cat in a wheelie bin, i saw it happen it was bad times. You could really have just shortened this all down though into a compact "i don't like em".
The Sandbag on 28 Jan '11 said:
YAY for hackers!
You could kinda say I'm a troll, but after Sony were gloating about their console's security, it's good that people are finally testing them.
ChrisIW on 28 Jan '11 said:
For f*cks sake it took me hours to download that useless fecking patch over my useless sh*tty internet connection. There'll probably be yet another patch any day now. Who are these total and utter knobheads that are effectively stopping me from using my playstation for hours at a time? SOMEBODY TORTURE THESE B@STARDS, THEN SHOOT THEM, THEN BRING THEM BACK AS ZOMBIES, THEN SHOOT THEM AGAIN. Ahhh, that actually feels better...
shellster2 on 28 Jan '11 said:
Sony should just leave it now. The door's not been opened, it's been blown apart. It's gone, leave it. All the cheapskate wankers out there who only buy a console once they know they can buy knocked off games will probably rush in and buy a PS3 now and bolster Sony's profits. Only to find, I hope, that knocked off games won't appear in every market up and down the country, a la PS1/PS2. Then they'll be forced to buy games properly.
I don't blame the hackers, it's just a challenge to them. Sony should have done a better job of security. I actually think they did ok to last this long. The 360 and Wii got hacked ages ago. I suppose at least the 360 can ban users from online. Not sure if that's the case with PS3.
..and whilst we're on the case with hacking, i bet you within 12 months of 3DS and PSP2, they'll both be hacked. There's always someone smarter than you it seems.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 28 Jan '11 said:
I bet this means us ps3 innocent owners are going to be treated like criminals with firmwares left right and centre by sony.
why are you hackers doing this ? at least wait until ps4 is released then hack by all means but for now just f*** right off.
krisbenei on 28 Jan '11 said:
Nullerror wrote,
How about because you own the equipment and should be allowed to do with your property as you wish? This is YOUR console. Sony no longer owns it once you buy it. By what rights do they have to tell you that you can't use it how you wish?
Quit being such a tool.
You'd have to be pretty naive to believe that if you buy something you can do what ever you want with it. If that were true I would be taking the hammer that I bought and payed for off the back of your head or running you over with my car. I payed for them after all. I can do what I want with them.
You sir are a silly boy.
Joenes on 28 Jan '11 said:
Well nullerror is talking about property and ownership,
You're talking about using your property to break someone else's.. I'm assuming you don't own NullError as well...
The Bossman on 28 Jan '11 said:
On COD4 today on a random account I entered a normal S&D game that was a ProMod lobby, was pretty cool being able to see the whole gun for once. Still a bad thing to happen to the game though. As for the firmware, someone else up there ^ said it's probably a test patch and I bet that's correct.
Ali_ on 28 Jan '11 said:
If the two of you had stopped to read the terms and conditions that come with your PS3, and the terms and conditions of the online agreement, you might realise that the code and the proprietary OS of the PS3 remains the property of Sony. It's not yours. You didn't pay for it. You paid for the hardware and Sony let you use the software providing you don't break those terms and conditions. Welcome to the real world.
Metagen on 28 Jan '11 said:
Well f**king said sir
samwyse on 28 Jan '11 said:
I'm glad to see that someone else feels the same way towards Sony as I do.
user_bob on 28 Jan '11 said:
You make a very good point. Now if only there was some way to avoid this problem by loading your own code and a custom OS on the PS3 instead...
It might be irritating, but hacks and jailbreaks will continue to happen, and will likely do so with the full support of the law. Just look at what has happened with the iPhone over the past few months- Geohot and others like him came up with ways to unlock it to run custom software, Apple tried to say running custom code on their hardware was illegal, and in response the DMCA was updated to specifically state that unlocking phones was legal. Yes, Sony managed to get a temporary restraining order on Hotz, but if the iPhone serves as any precedent, it won't be long before we see a court order making the jailbreaking of the PS3 legal.
I'm not trying to be condescending, but people like Hotz who get hacks like this working don't think the same way that the majority of posters here seem to. Hotz is not motivated by a desire to get pirated games running on his PS3, or a quest to bring about the downfall of the current retail game distribution system. He believes (and in my opinion, rightly so) that if you're shelling out hundreds of dollars for an amazing piece of hardware, you should be allowed to run whatever OS you want on it. Heck, he went out his way when he first posted his PS3 hack to state that his hack doesn't allow people to run pirated games, and shouldn't be used for those purposes. He intentionally made significant efforts to enable homebrew without enabling piracy. So give the guy some credit...
exodous on 28 Jan '11 said:
Wow, is there where all the big company employees come to vent frustration? You guys can't be serious, these hackers are making it possible to do what YOU WANT with hardware YOU BOUGHT. If you so against this then it doesn't affect you anyway, just down load the update and carry on in your little bubble happy and content. The only reason this is an issue is Sony comes out third in this generation of consoles, I doubt they are really loosing that much money on this. Every PS3 owner I know who has jail broken their PS3s still buy legal games because the ONLY people that own PS3s are Sony fanboys that think buy owning a PS3 and buying it's games sticks it to the man which in their eyes is either Microsoft or Nintendo.
El Mag on 28 Jan '11 said:
I want it to make me a strawberry slush puppie every day at 4pm can it do that if i hack it?
boskersrevenge on 28 Jan '11 said:
Aw, me too!
exodous on 28 Jan '11 said:
It's possible, you can use a hacked PS3 as the center of a robot. Couldn't do that without all these evil hackers.
Seriously, this forum is like Bizarro World, there has to be employees from the big three coming here and posting FUD.
Ali_ on 28 Jan '11 said:
Of course, you could save 5 years of a hacker's life and just buy a PC to do it...
And are people employees of the big three, or just sensible enough to realise that Sony has every write to protect its intellectual property against nerds who then, wittingly or unwittingly, benefit people who don't want to buy software. You know, thieves.
Do I work for Sony? No, but I know a good few out of work programmers and artists that might have jobs if more people actually bought software instead of using the results of these morons hacking. It's not just big corporations profiteering out of the poor gamers you know. There are plenty of supremely talented folk living on the breadline and inconsiderate morons like George Hotz are making it ever harder for them to get work.
exodous on 28 Jan '11 said:
But independent studies have shown that 1/4 to 1/2 of every copy of a game that is played is pirated, regardless of what is done to prevent it. Games with no DRM have the exact same statistics as those with. The only reason any games are legal sold is people like you and me, we see the value of these works. I have a DS flashcard but have also bought 10 games this year, all on my flash card for convenience.
Yes, there are those that use this tech to pirate games, but this tech will always be here no matter how many updates are pushed through the pipelines, no matter how many laws are made, and no matter how many people are sued. Even with the tech here that doesn't mean everyone who uses it does not buy legal games.
Look at music, even after suing all those people the same percentage of music is downloaded illegally, all those court cases and all those ruined lives only benefited lawyers in the end.
I think it is always around same percentage because as a society we're sending out lawyers rather than teaching the value of the work. It's an education problem not a legal problem, or at least I see it that way.
El Mag on 28 Jan '11 said:
Coooool, i imagine it to be like Johnny 5 from short circuit i loved that little happy bugger.
But on a serious note i don't agree with your claim that only Sony fanboys have a PS3. I've had a 360 and PS3 since launch and i also had a wii *zips up jeans fly*. Both consoles have good and bad points and i know as a european Sony would like nothing more than to bend me over and lube me up, so i like to think other PS3 owners are impartial aswell.
We've all got more important things to worry about than this haven't we?, me i'm pretty p**sed because i was saving a packet of McVitie's Mini Cookies and i just went for them....bloody gone aren't they.
jtthegame on 28 Jan '11 said:
lol you have been watching to many flims
theideal on 28 Jan '11 said:
Way to make sweeping generalisations about PS3 owners there.
And it does affect me when I go into an online game and get matched up with people using all sorts of game-ruining hacks.
Justify it all you want. I know most of the actual hackers do it for the challenge of doing it and I have no problem with that, it's when they publish everything they've done, allowing every stupid nub on the internet to break into their PS3 and play pirate/hacked games that the problems arise. It would be more understandable if everyone with a hacked PS3 had to do the work themselves. We'd soon see how important the 'homebrew' scene was.
You're deluded if you think 99% of people who are going to break their PS3 aren't doing it for the 'free' games.
SavageEvil on 28 Jan '11 said:
To all the "you own it, so you can do as you want with it club", go buy a PS3 console that doesn't not come with the Sony logo or built using their technology, if you want to do what you want with it. STFU, you only own the machine, but the rights and trademarks do not belong to you, when you buy the system the OS that it comes with does not belong to you either. The machine was purpose built to play videogames licensed by Sony for play on the system, it was not however sold to you with the express intent on running your own software in lieu of Sony's OS. The simple fact that the chip is embedded to only run Sony's software is a clue that you are not allowed to use the system without Sony's OS in place. That said, PC were created open for a reason, PS3 was not created to be as open as a PC, just a little more lax than other consoles. Still locked into playing Sony licensed games. Circumventing PS3 security and going onto the PSN network is a breach of contract, you agreed to before you signed on. You want your system to do what you want, you don't go online then. Everyone else has to abide by these rules what makes you above everyone else? Is there something that grants you status above everyone else that affords you the right to play games for free, change the way the game is supposed to run give yourself unfair advantages? If the homebrew was just for personal use, then you would have absolutely no need to go on PSN as you can't be trusted not to use the extra level of security to cheat. Like I said, without rules and laws people will spiral into anarchy and chaos...even with laws look how many attempt to be above it, and infringe upon the rights of others to enjoy life.
mikeleddy83 on 28 Jan '11 said:
Bad news for sony, but anyone not tempted to play Warzard, SF3, Metal Slug and a translated copy of policenauts on their PS3 is a little bit mental in my books... so I'm out.
superfruit on 28 Jan '11 said:
Wow. Brand advertising must really work given the loyalty on display here.
If Sony realised a press statement saying hacking the ps3 would increase the chances of murderers going on the rampage, some dumbass would be on here in minutes saying 'thanks hacking scum, now my mother is going to be murdered so you can be a virgin and play SNES games on a ps3!!! Give me a gun to kill hackers Sony!!!'.
I thought the young were supposed to be cynical. Brainwashed by corporate bulls**t more like. Try thinking outside of Sony PR. I used to pay £60 for SNES games when console piracy was almost unheard off. Now I can get Enslaved for £15 a few weeks after launch. Don't kid yourself about who's f**king who over, it's amazing how some of you would happily sell your consumer rights away for killzone t-shirt in Home.
I'd rather live in a world of hackers and technological risk takers than blind sheep being lead by the PR shepherd.
Paradaz - UK on 29 Jan '11 said:
Perfectly written.
This whole thread is a perfect demonstration of why the PS3-only demographic looks like it has an average age of 7 years old.
theideal on 29 Jan '11 said:
You generalise as though it's all so black and white. Not everyone who disagrees is a brainwashed, brand-loyal 12 year old.
You talk about consumer rights but what about my right to play a game I've paid for without some dirty, freeloading scumbag wading in and ruining the entire experience with a hacked copy?
infini on 29 Jan '11 said:
i thot gamers were smart...guess there are idiots everywhere.
look at egypt now....net neutrality issue in usa...2 tier internet in the UK. in under 5 years the internet will be censored and you'll be running to hackers and/or their solutions to get around your problem.
shut your trap about hackers cause they are true revolutionaries. I wish i could do what they do and join anonymous in their fight against oppression.
stop being a tool for the system you TOOL! loyalty to a corporation is called cult mentality and you deserve to be burned at the stake.
xbox sells more because you can chip it. and they released the best motion device which *surprise* can be hacked...and they're still killing the ps3. i think there is a message here but i'm too busy wishing fools like all of you die very slow
elmagicochrisg on 29 Jan '11 said:
Jééz, all of you, give the guy a break. Back in the days EVERYONE had Ps1 backups, EVERYONE. Stop being such? hypocrites. Whining because he f**ked up your precious MW2. Boo f**kin' hoo. Seriously... I'm sure this guy is gonna make more money than most of us anyway. As for Sony, they are bitches. Sega for one should know...
cgordon81 on 29 Jan '11 said:
This is ridiculous - I've just put on MW2 after a few months absence and hackers have ruined a game I once enjoyed. I think people can do what they like with their PS3 but when they start to affect me and ruin a game that I enjoy and paid £40 for, that's when it starts to annoy me. Sony need to sort this out pronto!
Jonny_Fandango on 29 Jan '11 said:
What a joke!!!
The Bossman on 29 Jan '11 said:
I suppose I'm probably the only one in the world, then, who didn't make any backups at all of PS1 games. I was only about 7 or so when I got it, thought never entered my mind.
bugmenot on 29 Jan '11 said:
I love how industry people are dominating the board with anti-hacker propaganda. Do you really expect us to believe that gamers generally hate people that mind their own business?
Crossblade_2000 on 30 Jan '11 said:
It's funny how people can condone piracy, citing it as being some sort of peoples revolution against "the man". Maybe those people should dig a little deeper, think a little harder, and realise the real truth of the matter.
Ever hear the phrase, "no such thing as a free lunch?" How about, "every action has consequences?" Western society relies heavily on it's creative industries, piracy attacks those industries, thereby slowly eroding our economy, and in the end we all pay the price for these so called "victimless crimes". And for what? Just so some hacker can get his fifteen minutes of fame?
Guess it's the problem with humanity in general, short term thinking, with no thought given to the consequences of our actions, and no acceptance of responsibility for the same. But hey, don't let me stop you contributing to the downfall of our economy, I'm pretty sure there's some good torrents around somewhere you might like.
procion on 30 Jan '11 said:
As if we'd be getting any more new content patches for PS3 anyway. The last real big one was what october 09(thats right we did get a video uploader thingee & ANOTHER Picture Combobulator, as we all know we need two different ones to manage our copious amounts of free dl'd porn, or limb-pictures)? The thing's on its last legs. The RAM running the thing is an absolute joke 256MB, that sexy little PSP2 will have a whole GB of RAM running it, four times pf PS3. "It Only Does Anything As Long As It's ONLY Any-ONE-Thing...". Don't get me wrong, I love my PS3(sniff), but walkers don't come fitted for the thing & it's really beginning not to manage on its last legs. It freezes mid-stride & its my third ps3 (RIP oh hallowed backward compatable bi-curious 60GB Wunderkind, murdered by Sony itself during the leap year psn fiasco via Sony's friendly error code send out). Tho I do have a jp m8 whose 20GB(20GB? You can sort of see the mentality behind the miniscule RAM when you hear of a 20GB. I thought they were a legend, like promo copies of Depeche Mode 12" singles)
User75 on 31 Jan '11 said:
yea thats right! hackers = scum of the earth
Paradaz - UK on 31 Jan '11 said:
Why does everyone automatically assume it's about piracy? Hows about a web browser that actually works, hows about media files with extensions that aren't currently supported. Hows about custom themes and configurable menus. The scope is endless. It's the best thing that's happened to PS3 especially as 99% of the games aren't worth copying in the first place.
julioaragon on 1 Feb '11 said:
sony,sony,sony...issues with the system first it was the installation of blueray that has cost them to only sell 13 million units in the u.s. then the playstation network online service is horrible free but limited capiblities,most games are not 1080p high def ,now the hacking is goin on,sony hasnt even made profit with the ps3 yet cause the console costs more than what they are selling it and on top of that not enough best selling game exclusives ...i think its time for them to accept defeat and stop competing with microsoft and sony,sure its a nice system but too many issues with the ps3
infini on 2 Feb '11 said:
what a joke. the downfall of the US economy (and global western for that matter) is from Quantitative Easing and Foreign Inflows into poor economies...in effect destroying their ability to compete on the global market because of the flooding of their market of US treasury bonds - which are backed by nothing but unpaid debt. BRIC countries are forming their own version of IMF back by either their own currencies or gold.
hacking in principle is meant as a way of utilizing a piece of hardware for more than it's (purchased) intended usage. should that unintended use go against intellectual properties - we can classify it as illegal. should that illegal information make it onto the net and others utilize that information and further share it - that is legal.
in fact we have a word for that in the new digital age: going viral.
these backend programmers/hackers WILL be the ones to allow us to circumvent future 'democratic' government restrictions on the internet (if the FCC is monitoring the flow of data according to net neutrality...who will be monitoring them? CIA? FBI? NSA? it's likely to be an abbreviation orgy and you're now on file).
don't generalize about hacking as the source of 'the erosion of the economy'. that's downright pathetic. read more about the world please.
who is helping egypt get back online? hackers you retard.
now sony just released their update which has a rootkit in it. they have in effect sacrifices the individuals data in the name of continued profits by giving malevolent hackers a backdoor into your system and your data.
when you pick sides...be sure to notice any tails, flying demons, flames and scorching hot weather. sure sign you backed the wrong side.
now die slow