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Sony follows up, officially sues Geohot and fail0verflow over PS3 jailbreak
We figured Sony would follow up last night's temporary restraining order against Geohot and fail0verflow for distribution of the PS3 jailbreak with a copyright infringement lawsuit, and well, here it is. It's actually pretty straightforward, as far as these things go -- Sony alleges that George Hotz, Hector Martin Cantero, Sven Peter, and the rest of fail0verflow are: Violating §1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which forbids bypassing access control measures; Violating the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which forbids accessing computers without authorization; Guilty of contributory copyright infringement for encouraging and helping others to crack PS3s as well; Violating the California Computer Crime Law, which is the state computer fraud act (think of this as a backup fraud claim); Violating the PlayStation Network's Terms of Service (which feels meaningless, really); Interfering with Sony's relationships with other PSN customers (also meaningless); Trespassing on Sony's ownership right to the PS3 (this one feels weak) and; Misappropriating Sony's intellectual property (another weak argument, but there in case the copyright argument fails). Sony's asking the court to forbid Geohot and fail0verflow from distributing the jailbreak and turn over all computer hardware and software that contain the jailbreak code, as well as unspecified damages and attorneys' fees. Yep, these boys done got sued -- and we're sure there'll be some serious fireworks once they lawyer up and fight right back. Update: And here we go -- Carnegie Mellon professor David Touretzky has posted up the first mirror of Geohot's code as a First Amendment protest, openly challenging Sony to take action. That's moxie -- we love it. [Thanks, Pedro G]
Geohot releases PS3 jailbreak for firmware 3.55, world ceases to have any meaning
Remember when George "Geohot" Hotz demoed homebrew on the PlayStation 3? Yeah, we know, it was a whole day of CES ago. Well, it looks like that video wasn't a random crack, but full custom firmware, and not just for show -- he just released it to the world. Believe it or not, we didn't bring our PS3s with us to CES 2011, so we can't actually test it for ourselves, but if you have faith or enjoy living on the edge, you're two clicks, one USB stick and a manual System Update away from potential freedom. Now, let's see him keep his original promise. [Thanks, Omar]
Geohot demos homebrew on 'jailbroken' PS3, Sony vows to 'fix' via software update (video)
We just saw how you can now add an Install Package Files option to the PS3 using some custom firmware, but that darn hacker George "Geohot" Hotz has taken it a step further by demonstrating homebrew in a quick, Mr. Blurrycam-approved video. It's a barebones app that only says "sup dawg, it's geohot," but in reality it's a pretty huge step. Geohot's provided the file on his website along with a copy of the METLDR root key that enables the homebrew. Sony, meanwhile, has issued a statement saying it'll "fix the issues through network updates, but because this is a security issue, we are not able to provide you with any more details." This runs counter to what pytey from fail0verflow (the famed group that kickstarted this new round of hacking) just told the BBC, "the only way to fix this is to issue new hardware... Sony will have to accept this." Hey, at least you'll be in good company, eh Sony? Check out geohot's proof of concept video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Geohot teases iPhone 4 jailbreak, no plans for release
Is this the honest-to-goodness iPhone 4 jailbreak we've been waiting for, or just another userland JB? It's hard to say from here... but either way, don't expect Geohot to release it into the wild. In a mildly jaded blog post, the original iPhone hacker makes it clear that whatever he did here was for his own amusement, and judging by the title of that entry ("Meh") the whole breaking-and-entering bit isn't giving him quite the same chuckles it used to. That's a shame, but we hear the iPhone Dev Team is making progress apace, so let's leave Geohot to tackle one of his other promised hacks, mmmkay? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Geohot advises against updating PS3, will find 'safe way' around losing OS support
In case you hadn't heard, there's a PlayStation 3 firmware update coming this Thursday that'd knock out the "install other OS" option and remove any currently-installed non-PS3 platform. Our guess is it's not going to affect the majority of owners, but the diehard users are certainly up in arms, and no one really likes losing a feature, even if it's rarely used. Leave it to Geohot, then, to right the wrong. Arguably the reason for Sony's reversal (see: PS3 exploit), the famed hacker has published not only a letter of sorrow at the company (unsurprising), but also a call for users not to update. Instead, he claims he will "look into a safe way of updating to retain OtherOS support" and issued a tech-savvy threat about "touching the CFW," much to the company's chagrin (trust us, you don't even want to know what he's talking about here -- far too scary). We wouldn't normally say a war's brewing, but ol' George Hotz has proven himself more than capable at starting something fierce. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
PlayStation 3 hacked; GeoHot releases 'coveted PS3 exploit' - ramifications 'unclear' says DigitalFoundry
Update: Reader Kevin K shared this link from Eurogamer's resident egghead, Richard Leadbetter of DigitalFoundry, who notes that "it remains unclear what the ramifications of the hack actually are" and that "right now there has been no "hello world" homebrew code executed that typically demonstrates that the hacker actually has full control over the system." Read the entire piece for a fascinating look into the challenge of hacking the PS3 and the safeguards put in place on Sony's black box. You may also want to read this BBC interview with Mr. Hotz, in which he says, "I can now do whatever I want with the system. It's like I've got an awesome new power - I'm just not sure how to wield it." He also tells the BBC that he "would publish details of the console's 'root key'"; however, DigitalFoundry writes, "Once the root key is available, it's essentially game over for the system's security for all-time, but it's here that some of the claims being made for the hack don't really add up. PSP has been compromised on many levels again and again, but its root key apparently remains unknown." Original post: It has begun. With iPhone hacker George Hotz (the kids call him GeoHot) releasing his PlayStation 3 exploit to the world today, he's kicked off what's sure to be a non-stop game of cat-and-mouse between the global hacking community and the Japanese consumer electronics giant. "This is the coveted PS3 exploit," Hotz writes on his blog, linking to the exploit while noting that it "gives full memory access and therefore ring 0 access from OtherOS." Okay, we really only understood that first part but we're sure "full memory access" is synonymous with "bad news" for Sony's engineers. When first revealing his progress last Friday, Hotz wrote, "I have read/write access to the entire system memory, and HV level access to the processor. In other words, I have hacked the PS3." Of course, we've seen this very same game played out on the PSP front with a constant stream of firmware updates designed to patch up the portable's porous security and, yes, even add some new features now and again. With the PS3 already the victim of an onerous amount of updates, we worry the hack may result in a glut of mandatory security patches. But who knows what wonders (no, we don't count the inevitable piracy amongst those wonders) this hack holds for PS3 owners – since the hack "is known to work with version 2.4.2 only" we suspect most people reading this won't even be able to tinker. Caveat emptor! [Via Engadget]
PlayStation 3 exploit released, hackers rejoice
In case you ever doubted his feat, or you simply wanted to recreate for sport, iPhone hacker extraordinaire George "Geohot" Hotz has released the exploit code he devised for properly hacking the PS3. This should give any aspiring minglers full memory access, and while he's only tested it with firmware version 2.4.2, he "imagine[s] it works on all current versions." A guide might follow sometime in the future, he says, but if you're really antsy to get your coding kicks, we wouldn't wait up. Update: EuroGamer's got a pretty thorough piece on what Geohot is claiming to have accomplished and what it means to the community -- and as Joystiq points out, until we see some "Hello World" proof of concept program, we don't quite know the extent of his claims. The guy's got a helluva track record, at least with iPhone, so we presume that's next on his and the community's list of to-do's. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
PS3 finally properly hacked?
In a post titled "Hello hypervisor, I'm geohot," hacker George Hotz (already known in the iPhone community) has made a strong claim: that he has cracked the PS3. The system has remained (mostly) uncompromised for over three years now, with a few exceptions here and there. But, this one pledges full read/write access to the entire system memory and complete control over the processor -- all without a mod chip. Has he really done it, if so how, and what comes next? That all remains to be seen. This exploit supposedly "isn't really patchable, but [Sony] can make implementations much harder," meaning he isn't tipping his hat until he's ready, because once he does the never-ending firmware update war begins, and as we've seen on the PSP, Sony can really knock out those updates. [Thanks, Deepak]
Software-only unlock for the current iPhone firmware announced
As many have you have emailed to tell us (thanks everyone), hacker teen wonder George Hotz a.k.a. GeoHot, of the hardware iPhone unlock heard 'round the world, has apparently made something unexpected: a software-only unlocking procedure for the iPhone's 1.1.2 and 1.1.3 firmware versions. With George's tools in hand (freely downloadable from his website), iPhone owners in non-supported countries should now be able to work their way up to the current release, wiggly icons and all. It's worth noting, as Endgadget has already mentioned, that you unlock your phone entirely at your own risk; never mind the fact that a future update may brick you (although we hope not!). If the procedure seems daunting -- it involves downgrading to the 1.02 firmware to start -- blogger Pinky's Brain is working on a walkthrough that should simplify things (link via Apple 2.0). The ModMyiPhone boards also indicate that a version of the unlock, runnable on a 1.1.1 jailbroken phone, is packaged and in the repository there. Is it worth diving into a new unlock tug-of-war with the official SDK (and, presumably, more exploits closed off with updates) in the near future? Guess that depends on how much you like having your iPhone working in the remote corners of the globe.
Out of the box 1.1.3 iPhones now software unlockable
Mr. GEOrge HOTz did it again. He just loosed a world of hurt on AT&T with a software unlock for 1.1.3 iPhones. That's right, the software is said to work on any fresh from the Apple store, shrink-wrapped iPhone sporting the latest 1.1.3 firmware and 4.6 bootloader, something the AnySIM unlock can't do. GeoHot's instructions (and dev / elite team smack talk) posted after the break. We haven't tested yet so, as always, take care.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
1.1.2 iPhones now unlocked... 3 days too late
Teenager George Hotz, aka GeoHot, the original iPhone unlocker is back. In a post to his personal blog he states that he has successfully unlocked a 1.1.2 firmware and bootloader 4.6 iPhone. Better yet, he posts the not-for-dummies version of the instructions to downgrade the bootloader to version 3.9 in preparation for running AnySim. We haven't tried this ourselves so remember, as GeoHot himself states, this hardware method "could brick your iPhone." You haven't upgraded to 1.1.3 already have you? If so, you're stuck with AT&T.Update: We're now hearing that a software unlock for 1.1.2 / 4.6 iPhones is right around the corner. So don't crack that case just yet kids.[Thanks, fantastico]
A doubly bad day for AT&T: Second iPhone unlock publicized
As Erica announced earlier today, our colleagues at Engadget confirmed a software-only unlock for the iPhone that's got their unit happily working on the T-Mobile network. Fine and dandy, but here's where it gets confusing. The AP/CNN has reported that a New Jersey teenager named George Hotz (with the help of some friends) has also unlocked the iPhone for use with T-Mobile; this unlock is described in the story as taking "about two hours" and involved expertise with "both soldering and software," so clearly it's not the same process as the software-only unlock from iPhoneSIMfree.com that Engadget has verified. Commenters inform me this is the same George who appeared in a YouTube video a couple of days ago with a claimed unlock hack. Aside from the TurboSIM process, these unlocks are the first widely-publicized and (presumably) stable methods of unlocking the phone. What are the odds of two completely different methods of unlocking the iPhone hitting the newswires on the same day (even if the George Hotz unlock was announced earlier in the week)? I'm no statistician, but I'm picking up a lottery ticket just in case. Thanks to Lisa, Rae and Rikin for sending this in.
