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Ireland getting naked e-passports
If you think you're at risk of identity theft and targeted assassination attempts with your new RFID-enabled passport, just think of the Irish for a moment: they started getting e-passports last week that don't even include the little mesh jacket that supposedly keeps our version safe from unauthorized readers. With Dutch and German passports based on the same ICAO guidelines having already been successfully intercepted and decrypted, people are understandably concerned that the US didn't think this policy all the way through before making it a requirement of the Visa Waiver program, and now it seems that some of the affected countries are willing to implement even shoddier security than a type that is already deemed risky. According to Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs, shielding the new documents is not necessary because they can only be detected when open and close to a reader, even though the general consensus is that the read distance of the chips they're using can be as much as several meters. Apparently the immediate fear is not so much over stolen identities (because of encryption), however, as it is about terrorists being able to use so-called RFID skimmers for targeting groups of people based on their nationality.
Nintendo Wi-Fi site hacked
How far would you go to get Nintendo's attention to tell them that their security is not efficient? Aside from stripping naked wearing nothing but a Mario hat running around their HQ screaming the Zelda theme song, you could hack their Wi-Fi site. Apparently, such was the tale of the hackers who actually succeeded in taking down the Metroid Prime: Hunters leaderboard, scores and usernames. Downtime was brief but they may have gotten their point across. Shortly after the attack, the page reappeared seemingly untouched. The question is -- effective or not? Did these hackers make their point? Or did they merely have their 15 minutes of fame? [Via QJ Net]
Gone in 60 seconds: MacBook security flaw exposed
A couple of friendly neighborhood hackers, Jon "Johnny Cache" Ellch and David Maynor have come up with a hack they claim takes 60 seconds and opens up any MacBook completely to their whims over a wireless connection. Supposedly the flaw, which they don't actually specify, is due to some faults in the device drivers which allow the wireless card to communicated with the OS. The flaw isn't unique to the MacBook, a few PC laptops have a similar vulnerability, but the pair of hackers have decided to pick on the MacBook due to the "Mac user base aura of smugness on security." So the next time Justin Long starts on that "Hello, I'm a Mac" shtick, you can always let him know of a certain 60 second vulnerability and change the channel before he gets too smarmy.
The PSP Fanboy video sandwich
I present to you, late-night PSP Fanboy reader, my Fan-made PSP video sandwich. A video on top and a video on bottom, with some tasty commentary by me in the middle. And, I can guarantee that this sandwich has no trans fat. These videos have been unearthed from the depths of the internet. They would've been posted earlier, but they're not really too funny. They are, however, an interesting testament of the PSP fanboy spirit. The video on top is a great tutorial on the various functions of the PSP, marred only by the constant use of immature sex jokes. I like to be a bit more subtle in my efforts.The video on the bottom successfully recreates the Hackers Versus Sony story from earlier, but now with Star Wars music and Really Awkward And Random Capitalization! Enjoy, and expect some real PSP news in the morning.
Hackers vs Sony: the homebrew game
A new homebrew game by DreaDNoughT attempts to accurately chronicle the ongoing battle between Sony and the hacking community. The story begins as such: "Sony, previously considered a friend to the gaming community, has betrayed us... After some time Sony released the first plague: Firmware version 2.00... And now you must begin the quest to defeat the ultimate firmware."Uh... excuse me? Am I the only one that doesn't feel betrayed by Sony's firmware revisions? I, for one, do use the internet browser, RSS feeds, AVC, Flash and WMA support. Regardless, it seems like a notable effort by a fan, and might merit some playing for you non-updated PSP owners. And, as a bonus, the latest version lets you actually win.
Silicon Valley Homebrew Mobile Phone Club formed
Generally we're not the type to engage in wild and baseless speculation, but we imagine that if the just-formed Silicon Valley Homebrew Mobile Phone Club produces even a fraction of the wealth-producing talent of its namesake, the area's venture capitalists would be wise to show up to a few meetings and press some flesh. This new club, an homage to the Homebrew Computer Club that included Apple founders Steve and Steve, was organized by Matthew Hamrick and Larry Cohen as a first step in turning cellphones into the configurable platforms that PCs have become. Hamrick and Cohen envision hackers and modders worldwide (but no cloners, thank you) sharing information on their disparate wireless tinkering, meeting both virtually on the 'net and face-to-face at regular gatherings, with the goal of creating more feature-filled, individually-tailored convergence devices. Our first request for the members? We want a Motorola MPX-styled handset running Vista for Tablet PC on a 1.xGHz dual core processor with 4GB of RAM, 30GB hard drive, SLI-enabled graphics (good luck with that!), eight megapixel camera, and of course, 802.11a/b/g/n, WiMax, Bluetooth 2.0, and, just for fun, both HSDPA and EV-DO Rev. B.
Xbox 360 DVD firmware hacked
Having spent months delving into the internals of the Xbox 360, a team of hackers at xbox360hacker.net have achieved what they call the "first Xbox 360 hack" and topped it off with a video. This shows a backup copy of PGR3 running on a 360 with modified DVD drive firmware--the firmware hack merely allows non-360 discs to be played in the 360, meaning the console will only run signed, unmodified code.It's a small but important first step; anyone interested in homebrew code (e.g. Linux) on the 360 will have to wait for further developments. The team responsible isn't releasing the firmware to the public--if you understand the technology behind it, though, you might be able to duplicate their efforts.Xbox 360 and hacking--the history:Don't count on modding your Xbox 360: Microsoft execXbox 360: The most hack-proof console ever?Xbox 360 inches closer to piracy with bootable, modifiable kiosk DVDXbox 360 hackers cheat at Hexic, make inroads into hacking the 360[Thanks to everyone who sent this in; also via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Video proof: 360 firmware hacked
Not that it does us any good, but consider the 360 officially hacked. After "months of hard work," a team of hackers from have released video (also here) of a back-up copy of PGR3 running on an Xbox 360 with reprogrammed DVD drive firmware. This comes on the heels of the FW security details being posted on XboxHacker.net. The "new" firmware, which requires a hardware reprogrammer to install, will boot any properly formatted disc with matching CR be data, but does not circumvent region encoding.As explained earlier, the security flaw that allows this is really in the hardware design, so it looks like hackers are in control of the cat/mouse game from now on, even if MS forces an update via XBL. But don't expect it to show up on Xbins any time soon. TheSpecialist explains the group's noble intentions:There are no plans to make some kind of tutorial for n00bs. Intention of this site is to get an understanding of how the 360 is protected, not to enable n00bs playing backups.They hack because they care.[Via MaxConsole]
