ps3-hacking
Latest
Rumor: PS3 hacked yet again, this time it might be for keeps
Yesterday a new, PSN-enabled custom firmware for hacked PlayStation 3 consoles launched, compatible with the official firmware 4.25 release. This type of hack isn't new, and previously Sony has been able to update its firmware to sufficiently quell the hackers' reach. Following the custom firmware launch yesterday, however, was the release of the PlayStation 3's LV0 keys.In theory, the LV0 decryption keys make is easy to decode any system update to the PlayStation 3, Eurogamer writes. The LV0 keys allow PS3 firmware to be decrypted on PC, and then re-encrypted with firmware 3.55 keys to run on hacked consoles.A group called "The Three Muskateers" takes responsibility for the LV0 keys, but not the leak itself. That's all thanks to a new Chinese hacking group, "BlueDiskCFW," who planned to release and charge for custom firmware updates using The Three Muskateers' LV0 keys. To stop BlueDiskCFW from profiting off the keys, the Muskateers released them."You can be sure that if it wouldn't have been for this leak, this key would never have seen the light of day," The Three Muskateers write in a statement. "Only the fear of our work being used by others to make money out of it has forced us to release this now."Read the complete statement from The Three Muskateers, with the keys edited out, below.
Sony and PlayStation 3 jailbreaker George Hotz settle out of court
After a short but rather storied history, infamous PlayStation 3 jailbreaker George "GeoHot" Hotz and Sony Computer Entertainment of America have settled their legal dispute, with a statement on the PlayStation Blog stating the two parties "reached an agreement in principle" around 10 days ago. According to said agreement, Hotz has "consented to a permanent injunction," meaning he super swears he won't do it again (legally speaking, of course), though no other terms are given. We were told by an SCEA rep that the terms of the settlement (beyond what was disclosed) are confidential. Unsurprisingly, both Hotz' legal team and Sony's were excited to resolve the legal dispute so quickly. "It was never my intention to cause any users trouble or to make piracy easier. I'm happy to have the litigation behind me," Hotz said in the announcement. Previously, Hotz had strict terms for a potential settlement. "Let's just say, I want the settlement terms to include OtherOS on all PS3s and an apology on the PlayStation blog for ever removing it," Hotz wrote on his website during the trial. "It'd be good PR for Sony too, lord knows they could use it," he continued. "I'm also willing to accept a trade, a legit path to homebrew for knowledge of how to stop new firmwares from being decrypted." Apparently the case spooked Hotz enough to reconsider. The settlement announcement also absolves Hotz of any potential wrongdoing associated with recent PlayStation Network attacks. "Hotz was not involved in the recent attacks on Sony's internet services and websites," the statement reads. To fully drive the point of the blog post home, SCEA general counsel Riley Russell said of Hotz, "We appreciate Mr. Hotz's willingness to address the legal issues involved in this case and work with us to quickly bring this matter to an early resolution." For his part, Hotz announced via his blog this morning that he is "joining the Sony boycott," and that he "will never purchase another Sony product." It could be that he's mad after the legal case ... or it could just be that he's broke.
Sony finally releases official statement on PS3 jailbreak
Though Sony has been dealing with the legal and metaphysical struggles associated with GeoHot's PS3 jailbreak discovery for some time now, the company had yet to release an official statement on the matter until today. The statement comes via a PlayStation Blog post and warns users: "Notice: Unauthorized circumvention devices for the PlayStation 3 system have been recently released by hackers. These devices permit the use of unauthorized or pirated software. Use of such devices or software violates the terms of the 'System Software License Agreement for the PlayStation 3 System' and the 'Terms of Services and User Agreement' for the PlayStation Network/Qriocity and its Community Code of Conduct provisions. Violation of the System Software Licence Agreement for the PlayStation 3 System invalidates the consumer guarantee for that system. In addition, copying or playing pirated software is a violation of International Copyright Laws. Consumers using circumvention devices or running unauthorized or pirated software will have access to the PlayStation Network and access to Qriocity services through PlayStation 3 system terminated permanently. "To avoid this, consumers must immediately cease use and remove all circumvention devices and delete all unauthorized or pirated software from their PlayStation 3 systems." We've provided a handy summation for our friends who lack long attention spans: Hey, you! Cut that out.
Sony's restraining order against Geohot granted
Everything's coming up Sony. First, the NGP is unveiled to a general chorus of *drool*. Now, PSX-Scene has revealed court documents showing that a district judge granted Sony's temporary restraining order against PS3 hacker George "geohot" Hotz. Hotz is now barred from "offering to the public, creating, posting online, marketing, advertising, promoting, installing, distributing, providing, or otherwise trafficking" (phew) in any software or methods for circumventing the PS3's protection methods. No longer can he "provide links from any website to any other website" relating to such matters, or publish any information obtained by hacking the PS3. And more to the point, he can no longer "engage in acts of circumvention of TPMS in the PS3 System to access, obtain, remove, or traffic in copyrighted works." The court allowed this restraining order to go through despite jurisdiction issues (specifically, Hotz residing in a different state than Sony, and a different state from where the claim was filed), granting specific jurisdiction "because he purposefully directed his activities at the forum state" of California. The judge ordered that all involved parties meet to set a hearing date regarding Sony's motion for an injunction -- and Hotz's motion to dismiss on personal jurisdiction grounds -- by February 1, 2011.
Sony issues more court documents in hacking case, GeoHot's lawyer responds
More court documents have surfaced in the suit between Sony and PS3 hackers, mostly declarations on the part of each of Sony's lawyers in support of the restraining order against George "GeoHot" Hotz and other hackers. One document contains over 280 pages of "evidence" to provide cause for enjoining them against further hacking -- said evidence consisting of full, copy-and-pasted pages from Twitter accounts, forum posts, and news stories relating to the recent discoveries of the PS3's private and root keys. Also included are summons for the hackers, and a document from Sony declining to bring the case before a magistrate judge, requesting a district judge instead. According to PSX-Scene, there's also evidence that Sony sent $1 to Hotz's PayPal account through his email address, in order to prove he is accepting donations, even though he hadn't actually requested donations. NeoGAF's Sangreal also obtained responses from the lawyers representing Hotz. The opposition statement claims that the California court has no jurisdiction over Hotz or any of the other defendants, and that Hotz has no connection to the other hackers. More substantially, Hotz's attorneys' statement asserts that "Defendant Hotz has not produced, manufactured, sold, nor does he have any intent whatsoever to produce, manufacture, or sell, any devices that facilitate piracy." It dismisses Sony's use of other piracy cases for precedent, because those cases involve hardware used to circumvent the PS3's protection, and not software. Moreover, the statement makes the point that enjoining Hotz from his programming activities won't do anything. "Sony's own pleadings admit that the code necessary to jailbreak the Sony PlayStation computer is on the internet," the statement reads. "Sony speaks of 'closing the door', but the simple fact is that there is no door to close. The code sought to be restrained will always be a Google search away."
Sony begins legal action against PS3 hackers
Last week, hacking group fail0verflow and well-known iPhone hacker George "GeoHot" Hotz revealed new hacks for the PS3 allowing pretty much anyone to run unsigned code on the system. Sony has yet to nullify this through "network updates" as promised, and has instead chosen to address this problem by filing temporary restraining orders against the hackers. Hotz posted the court documents on his own site after receiving them. The court documents claim that the hacks violate the DMCA, and that "Already, pirated games are being packaged and distributed with these circumvention devices." Sony's restraining order is designed to "restrain" Hotz and the others from continuing to hack the PS3's protection measures, and from distributing their exploits. Hotz doesn't seem worried about Sony's ire. "I would expect a company that prides itself on intellectual property to be well versed in the provisions of the law, so I am disappointed in Sony's current action," Hotz told the BBC. "I have spoken with legal counsel and I feel comfortable that Sony's action against me doesn't have any basis." [Thanks, Mike]
