Apple iPhone Unlocker GeoHot Begins Hacking Sony's PS3

But how likely is this guy to matter and is the info in his tweets important in the opinion of the devs?

I really hope he can do it, because the ps3 is a console with so much potential just imagine the things that could be done with a hello world!!

I will have CJPC reply on that later today, but from what I recall when I asked him the "PS3 memory map" is just old/known linux stuff.

However, keep in mind that geohot had to start somewhere... so he could get up to speed quickly depending on how much time he has to invest. :tup2:

Didn't we get hello world a long time ago?

Excluding the fakes (people who modded SAK, etc), there has never been a way to run unsigned code on retail PS3 consoles made public. :(

Looks like he needs a girlfriend hehehe, just kidding (again :D)

I just hope this guy be able to hack the PS3 or, at least, give a good advance in the matter. I'm not sure if it's possible to do such a thing because, as he says, it's been three years since the PS3 release and a lot of people are being in the same thing since then.

We all know that it ain't easy to hack an Iphone (which is "bad" from its very design) but it's even harder to hack a PS3, which I think was designed to avoid that possibility.

Anyway, the best of luck for this guy with his "tremendous" goal :)

Believe me Im a computer geek and have a barbie gf. My geekness and computer sessions will never go away even with my bimbo gf :P

A geek is a geek and this guy likes his stuff, and probably has even more than a lot of us do.

Nerdy dudes get all the hot chicks :P id post a pic but i dont want to gum up the works of this thread with all the hawtness comments bout my girl haha

Yeah,

I knew that posting that comment was a bad idea, but I didn't say that because of his geekness, but because the way he looks in that picture. Don't get me wrong, I respect guys like him who does a lot things that I can't even imagine, but (being honest) a good haircut would be nice :cool:.

I'm not exactly a geek, but I consider myself "smart enough", I'm more into the business management than the development department. I guess that, in the end of the day, everybody does whatever they wanna do with their time.

P.D. I love my girlfriend too :)

Well, just getting a picture of the PS3 (memory, nand, etc) from linux is a good step, but it is kind of old (as in, 2006 old). I will admit, he has done some nice work, but the PS3 is a beast like none other, and sadly, he will soon be surprised by how ingeniously the system works but here is to hoping he can get it done!

I doubt he can get it done by himself but i give him my best wishes. I, like most of the people who hang here, wanna see the ps3 hacked!

Well, you see, a lot of the most ingenuous ideas throughout the world started with a single man so, go for it mate!

Good luck to him. :)

His picture looks like something he just took as a joke.

I wish him all the best, and with working with CJPC and the ps3news team, he is in good company.

Why not call GeoHot to PS3NEWS Dev Team? Maybe he can help CJPC and others devs.

Give a ps3 dev machine and some ram dumps to this guy and wait few days.
Or he will lost her gf or he i'll be crazy :lol:

I just want to clarify- geohot is currently not a member of the PS3News DEV team, we only chatted a few times on IRC generally about the PS3. However, if he is interested, we are extending an invitation to him.

But kez, just some ram dumps won't help, as they are not the full memory!

And, on a sidenote, I will have some B I G news this weekend (no, its not a hack, but still, its BIG!)

:mad: Maybe i'd be interested if that BIG was a little [SIZE="3"]BIGGER[/SIZE] so i'd know its the next best thing to a hack. Is it something a regular user like me can have fun with? Get my ps3 light to blink morse code or something? :p

CJPC, you can't say stuff like that... Now I won't sleep for a week... X_X

Its easy to make the PS3 blink morse code, just close and open your eyes quickly!

But seriously, its something to help us, help you, hopefully!

ahhh i can't wait.. whats the details for the IRC channel?? i know its on EFnet - i tried to join #ps3news - but required a key..

OMG CJPC could it be??

BELZAR or any other PS3 modchip as its not a hack.

Yea, we closed that due to lack of use... the only ones used these days are private ones for the devs.

Anything 'newsworthy' that they are in agreement of to share gets posted in the Site News though, so you aren't missing much not being there. Most stuff they simply don't want posted yet, so that is why they aren't public channels.

We kicked around the idea of reopening the public channel a few months ago, but decided nobody really has the time to 'hang out' there... so if it is ever reopened it would likely be just for people here versus a development channel.

If I were to guess... hmmmm

Like CJPC said, it's something that can help them help us... So the best news I could think of related to this is: They found a way to replace the original firmware with a custom one, either by torturing a sony executive into giving them sony's private key :D or... they found a way to bypass the check. It aint THE hack but the closest thing next to it. The next step would be to modify the original firmware to make it hacked. :chill:

i wont sleep since i read CJPC announcement... i enjoy reading the Site News section
I can assure anyone that since i registered in ps3news i have read all the "news"

ps: sounded like tarzan. my english isnt great.

Thanks for clarifications, sir. I hope geohot accept the invitation.
I'll be waiting for news.

if they found a way to replace the firmware, that is not big news, that is HUGE NEWS. I dont believe this can possibly be it... that would basically mean ps3 is hacked....

@ CJPC
Are you guys really sure of making any new news public ?
Since the fragile situation that the ps3 seems to be about a hack, I won't say it's the best choice to turn public any news until it's not reversible by sony. But as everybody knows "you are the guy" :D

Best of luck for everybody.

@ all
if the ps3news irc channel is closed why we don't create a side channel like #ps3news-chat. I've once talked with cjpc in ps3news irc channel and it was some fun (for me :p) it's very sad to know that the irc channel is closed now.

Long live the irc, die msn and others.

Anything that could be patched by Sony simply hasn't been posted in recent months, per agreement between the PS3 Devs, until such time as they feel it's warranted... so no worries there.

Regarding the IRC channel, there is nothing wrong with EFnet #ps3news (we can unlock it at any time for the public again) but as I mentioned above... none of the Devs have time to idle and chat there so what purpose would it serve? :wacky:

Many (not all) of the PS3 Devs here barely have time to keep one another updated on PS3 projects, and don't have the time/desire to deal with random people bugging them for updates or info that they wish to keep private anyway. :shhh:

Well for me I would love to be updated at irc with fresh news about PS3 hacked status ;) it's closed :(~, I am on irc very often:chill: Maybe I don't have many posts but visit ps3news all the time, this is my best source ;)

About geohot I don't bother his hair cut, as long as he will be working at PS3 to be hacked he is the man !!! and about Belzar hmm don't know what to think about it.. but something tells me that this is good way to get PS3 cracked. Well as You say "Hope dies the last" ;) Let's hope and stayed tuned.

Take care guys and keep as updated ;) Cheers straight fro Poland X_X

I'm pretty stoked its been months since we have had actual dev news..

Before you guys post the BIG news, make sure it cannot be patched by the ps3 devs, otherwise all hard work, gone to the pooper. Regarding geohot, kudos to this fella, hope he does well or at least points the community in the right direction. Theres alot of potential within him, hopefully alot more time to waste.

I wish i didnt slack off in my pc programming class, perhaps could of helped you guys out.

For PS3 Devs; Why do they see ps3 hacking as a big threat? I do understand it leads to lot of bootleg cds, but lets face it, do you buy the worst games anyway? I will still buy the good old games that i like and play (cod4/bf/gt etc), but if the games are crap, none is going to buy them in the end.

Anywho, waiting for the big news, hopefully its as big as we are all hoping for and good luck to all devs, and big thanks for donating your time for such a great cause. :ch:

im happy to see that gehot is now looking up for the ps3.

i dont think that this is the best news i ever read, but with him the people are who are working on a cfw are stronger then before =)
go ahead guys.

Let's not forget George is very dedicated to a hacking goal, like he said sometimes he becomes obsessed, staying up all night to work on the iphone for example (and a total of over 500 hours work). He's a great guy. Maybe he will find a way around certain complications with getting inside the PS3. Looking forward to the BIG news! :)

The more people that work on the ps3 the better the chances of someone finding a loophole. Glad he´s taken an interest and I wish him the best of luck. Screw the haircut, just crack this beast. :lol:

Oh ya, I´m also curious to hear about this news. any news is good news :)

GeoHot, Go for it! :D

"crap, the PS3 has an MMU for everything, PPE+SPE+IO. And the RSX doesn't seem to let me create new DMA channels."
about 7 hours ago from web

These recent conversations are for people who'm don't use twitter and want some more insight!
Also some conversation between him and another peep in Twitter:
"@geohot are you doing this thru linux or is that another method?"
about 6 hours ago from TwitterFon in reply to geohot

"@Inevitable_Dj all through linux. game os is actually further from hypervisor(metal) than linux."
about 6 hours ago from web in reply to Inevitable_Dj

"@geohot cool, I've knew a few ppl look into it and couldn't go far, so now they're trying to get the ram and gfx working fully on linux"
about 6 hours ago from TwitterFon in reply to geohot

Another Conversation:
"@comex One bit in the page table will let me r/w hypervisor"
about 6 hours ago from web in reply to comex

"@geohot What bit?"
about 6 hours ago from web in reply to geohot

Sounds like a nice idea, but i still have a feeling the ps3 is going to be a road block in hacking it as it is more complicated than the iphone.. all the power to him though. :hmm:

I was actually happy when i read that geohot was working on ps3. He's a dedicated guy that doesn't give up until he reaches his goal. Good luck to him!

@PS3 DEV team: just don't release anything that could compromise the future of a hacked ps3.

A few things I would like to make clear. For starters, we have never, ever released anything that would compromise the future of a hacked PS3, it has always been other sites, or other lamers that have. After all, only a handful of hacked PS3's is not really worth it!

Furthermore, like I said earlier, I want to stress the fact that, although being BIG, it is not a hack.

Finally, there has been a slight delay, and more information about it will come in the middle of next week (sorry about that guys!)

I have only one thing to say about that : (:(~)³

LOL! Trust me, a few extra days isn't going to matter at all... the Devs have waited this long, and when he does post the news nothing is going to change in the near future anyway so I'd say it's best to just forget about it until next week. :wacky:

Will this news affect the release of a hack in any way? You really put a lot of ppl on alert here so much so that not so great news would get some angry. I might even throw out a stray F word :p Well i wouldn't :)

Also if there are any more delays could you just say the news is no more? I would rather a surprise than be expecting it for too long and i believe others would finally be able to take in some oxygen at that point. :lol:

As CJPC mentioned in THIS post, it's something for the resident PS3 Devs to utilize... it doesn't directly affect end-users nor retail consoles.
As for the delay, it's simply because the shipper sent it out a day later than CJPC was initially told... meaning he won't have it until after the weekend is all. :wacky:

:( *goes back to sleep* Wake me up when something i can use comes about. Ooooo... i just got that bit. "help us, help you" I thought he meant help us and you. :(~ Pretty sure that comma isn't supposed to be there CJPC!

Well at least i can get my mind off it now. :lol:

So its hardware.. i wonder.. belzar modchip even thoguh it does look like a complete fake ? OOoooOO I wonder what it is :p

Something a LOT more useful than a fake PS3 modchip... I can tell ya that! :D :shhh:

Omfg i know what it is!!!

Its a gun to shoot the lamo who started the fake modchip stuff up!!

lol naa if that modchip is real im gonna feel like an ass wow lol

I'd settle on a pair of wire cutters, to get those lamers who started fake modchip rumors off the net!

lmao .. i find it sad that they get thier thrills from pranking people and giving them false hope :/ f'ed up??

btw is there a irc channel or anything where people can really talk .. just wondering im on irc a lot...

Ooooo could it be a JIG???? :shhh:

"geohot the ps3 is super complicated, yet apparently secure everywhere i've looked. i'm still looking, but almost ready to resort to hardware"
41 minutes ago from web

ohhh good guess! Being able to reproduce the JIG and boot in and out of service mode.

Some beautiful soul has donated a certain piece of Sony hardware?

If it truly is the jig, this is indeed BIG news.... that was a great guess. If it allows booting into service mode, could we theoretically switch any retail ps3 into a debug console?? this could be huge...

so... whats a jig? :confused:

http://bestwikiever.wikidot.com/jig

A "JigKick" battery is a battery for PSP that makes the PSP enter Service Mod booting off the Memory Stick and not the flash0. It starts low-level firmware (no xMB) used to install firmware over bricked PSP or to downgrade/hack a PSP with a high CE firmware. The jig was a battery that only Sony possessed to to fix broken PSPs but once they accidentally send the jig and memory stick back with a PSP and thats when we found out how they did it. In a video on the internet some guys used this jig and downgraded to 2.71 from 3.50 (before the Lumines 3.50 Exploit! In ASCII the text OK appeared and the PSP was rebooted to 2.71!

Who knows? Perhaps it can be modified as mentioned to boot debug or perhaps it be modified in such a way as to crash the system between switching inbetween firmware modes? Hell this is all speculation we dont even know if it has to do with a JIG

thats a similar jig, but the ps3 version is through the USB port. The files on the usb jig have already been leaked (read more here:http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Dev/playstation-3-service-mode-jig-set-up-files-leaked) ! But, the necessary accompanying software has not.... perhaps this is what our friend has acquired??? :wow:

if its a jig, I personally hope the devs dont say a word until there able to analize, re create, & reverse engineer. somethings we're just not ready for!

impatience always leads to failure, trust me, i know.

just a thought

I agree. We are just speculating though. More than likely setting ourselves up for dissapointment to say the least.

The software and related documentation, PS3 service manuals, etc have also been leaked long ago, just not as 'public' as the files pictured but of course the PS3 Devs have experimented with it.

However, this doesn't directly have to do with the JIG at all... it's a lot better from a Dev's standpoint actually. Next Wednesday is the day the package arrives according to CJPC's tracking number, so he will likely post the first of many updates shortly following. ;)

wow... this is news to me. Using the jig, are the devs able to fully load the debug firmware onto a retail console? I should like to play with debug :)

Also.... can't imagine what cjpcs big news could be now... looking forward to wednesday :wacky:

Ps3 Test/ TOOL unit!

nah, I HIGHLY doubt this. there are quite a few of those floating around these parts, just check the debug forums (my favorite place).

Getting back to the original topic, has anyone got an update on GeoHot's progress. I applaud his effort, & wish him success. On a secondary note what ever happened to Dark Alex?

With a JIG we will be finally able to repair my Bricked Console! Its been bricked for 15 months now!

Footylad

wow, nice development... don't want to get my hopes up, so its best to just wait and see.

A few more updates from geohot's twitter:
And some more from xorloser's blog:

sounds like he's having a hard time with this PS3, if I were him, I'd see what that unused core is doing, maybe he'll have better luck on the slim since its hypervisor has been stripped.

The hypervisor still exists, it is just that the external interfaces to it have changed due to newer hardware. They are unwilling to publish the new interfaces.

do you think there will be near-news about this?... from his words it sounds like he is convinced that it will take less time than we thought.

From the sound of his last few tweets, I would say probably not too soon... :confused2:

from the looks of it, it does look like geohot is having a tough time - too bad, just wondering if there was any update as to the 'big news', even if i dont understand an inkling of what the devs do news is news and is interesting nonetheless :p

If all goes according to schedule, CJ should get the package later today (between 4-6PM EST) so sometime after that he plans to post the initial update... and of course follow-up PS3 Dev updates as their work progresses.

Just a reminder though, as he mentioned it's not a PS3 hack or anything that directly relates to retail PS3 consoles... so although it's BIG news for Devs I don't expect those who aren't tech-savvy to get too excited initially.

However, if you have been following the resident PS3 Dev Team's periodic updates over the last 600 days (all 7 pages) and like when they share things that aren't patchable by Sony then you will definitely enjoy reading what's to come. :cheers:

looking forward to it. whatever it is it got me excited. keep the good news coming...
ps3news.com 4 life....

this is good news my friend, real soon we will be closer to getting homebrew.

suspense in this post is holded from the beginning :hmm:

i'm excited too, can't wait the end to see what they got :(~

is it 4-6pm yet?

If this thing is true, then we have about 8-10 hours, right?

http://www.timeanddate.com/library/abbreviations/timezones/na/est.html

8-10 hours!!!??

Im going to bed, see you tomorrow with some exciting news.

sorry for the question.. 4-6PM there.. what time is here in italy?

check this : http://www.timeanddate.com/library/abbreviations/timezones/na/est.html

thank you :) very useful.. ;)

We know it's not a JIG, not a hack that could boot backup, maybe a beginning of homebrew ? I guess we have to wait...
I know this post is not of great use, but after being following, this thread i'm getting curious.

It was posted last night... check here: http://www.ps3news.com/PS3-Dev/ps3-reference-tool-kit-arrives-for-the-ps3-news-dev-team/

I read the news but I can't get access to comments below...

Yea, you won't be able to since those are in the PS3 Dev Forum until you move from a Newbie to a Registered User... the same applies to downloading files.

:arrow: For more details, see our UserGroup Classifications. :tup:

I had the same problem couldn't get the comments, but never knew what to post. It's great to hear this news, this happened also to the 360 if i remember it correctly. Just one question, did the devs pay it themselves or was it donated? Maybe partially donated and partially payed? Just a question, because it's a lot of money worth!

Yea, all that = already answered in the Dev section... no need to repeat it all here just because people are too lazy to make posts to gain access there. :wacky:

Let's keep this thread on the topic of geohot's PS3 hacking Twitter updates! :tup4:

Seeing Hackers like George Hotz decide to try and hack the PS3 is great, and also got me thinking.

Majority of the hacking community hasn't ever tried to hack the PS3, simply because it can already run homebrew through linux.

Hackers of other consoles even use PS3 to backup their beliefs by saying things like 'game console manufacturers should open up their platforms to Linux and homebrew, similar to what Sony has done with the PlayStation 3.'

But the PS3 Slim has changed all that.

So I think we all need to get the message out to the community that this is no longer the case. What would be the best way to go about that?

I moved your post to the existing thread on geohot... we actually had another long thread HERE on the topic as well.

Basically everyone in our community is already doing all they can (see the 7 pages of PS3 Dev threads) in attempt to unlock the PS3, so for the moment I don't think we need yet another thread on that topic... I did +Rep you for your effort though! ;)2

The best advice I can give anyone who wishes to help out is to share your skills with us HERE and perhaps you can be added to the resident PS3 Dev Team!

Also, if you work for Sony, IBM (we could use an IBM insider atm) or a 3rd-Party Developer and have access to files that may be of use feel free to Contact Us and you will be rewarded. :tup2:


Getting back on-topic, here are some recent tweets from geohot:

good job Chief, i just read this thread an hour ago and it was closed. it never surprises me how on top of everything you are.

with the big news on the Dev front, now a tweet from geohot, thing are looking more & more promising.

Sorry but i don`t get it at this point.

Is this thingy, probably ordered by cjpc, a developer unit? is it now possible for the dev team to program all they want?

is george hotz in the dev team of ps3news?

what is needed from IBM? Maybe i can help :hmm:

Yes, more details are linked here on it: http://www.ps3news.com/forums/ps3-hacks/apple-iphone-unlocker-geohot-begins-hacking-sonys-playstation-3-a-107574-9.html#post270523
Not at this time, but he's been invited... see here: http://www.ps3news.com/forums/ps3-hacks/apple-iphone-unlocker-geohot-begins-hacking-sonys-playstation-3-a-107574-2.html#post269661
If you work there and can be of help, definitely Contact Us and we will reply with more details... the documentation/files we are currently seeking from someone 'on the inside' at IBM isn't something that should be discussed on public forums. ;)

Although GeoHot has had great success in the past, I'm willing to bet the ps3 will be a challenge, even for him.. especially alone. Here's hoping he joins up for a united effort... or at least shares his findings.

Someone know if it's true that geohot switch into hardware? What he can search on hardware? BD firmware pach ?

Thank to all for answer.

news from geohot... he is really persistent which is good :)

I think geo is looking for something akin to the xbox 360 hack (not quite the same, but he's looking for some points in the hardware to access something)

We'll see what he brings in the next little while.

One of the things I'm looking forward to if the PS3 gets hacked is mods for games installed as PKG's, meaning no backup games.

With Geohot and with the big ps3tool for ps3dev team, this year will definitly be the year where the Ps3 will be unlocked ;p

Keep up the good work dudes.

I don't think the ps3 will be unlocked this year. I sure would hope so. But it's like 3 months remaining, and I think that by then the dev team will understand the dev tool and could make progress. Can someone give Geohot proper tools :lol: so he can go further! :tup:

Maybe Someone should have a look at the Slim Console... new/changed Hardware...Maybe Sony forget something to change. Just a thought. X_X

I think that the slim has improved security on the hardware side. Just my 2 cents :rolleyes:

when he say: "@BADASSC5 v1 is open source, try making the new exploit work"

this "Exploit" isn´t about PS3 or... is?

Nah, they are talking about phone (not PS3) hacking there... see the other guy's Twitter he replied to: http://twitter.com/BADASSC5

Granted geohot did find another module on the iPhone that could be exploited but he did require other people's work to initially get him into the iPhone to create purplesn0w. His method on the iPhone did work but it was too big and used up too much memory and was quite buggy. With that said, I do hope that he can get something going on with the PS3. I'm just not going to hold my breath on this one.

I have great faith that somehow by some one/group it will be done very soon, probably not this year though... :(~

Surely though if geohot and/or the devs actually do find a mad exploit or hack will we really find out through these pages and geohots twitter account. I doubt it, I think we won't know how successful anyone is until the hack actually gets released. Why announce you've done it before you can apply it to anyone's machine and then Sony fix in an update or something anyway.:mad:

Oh well its fun going between here and there everyday expecting the good news to suddenly be released, knowing deep down you'll be doing this a lot before that day arrives. :p

Hackers/devs whoever is doing something, keep going, your great, only wish there was somehow a newbie could help also ;)

It might require an information leak from sony or ibm to hack the console. Maybe enlist some internet hackers to snoop around. :shhh:

Everyone should also keep in mind that the ps2 also had a very rough road in its quest to be hacked. ESR is still not in a final state and we've had a decade to explore the ps2. lets not put to much pressure on the talented Devs out there working for free, every chance they get.

These guys should be commended for their work and dedication, some even going as far as to put the scene before their everyday lives. also keep in mind companies have million dollar budgets & teams to engineer consoles, while the average joe has a $19.95 budget and the weight of the world on his back.

So to the average Joe Dev... Thank You, keep up the good work!

just a thought

lol. Actually I think they do it whether we cared or not. They arent necessarily trying to hack it because we are asking them to and I am not sure many of them care if ppl complain or have doubts. Always thought that the scene was like that, doing it for the love of it and not because some noob wants it done. Hacking the ps3 would be the ultimate bragging right probably for a decade to come.

Geohot is still plugging away adding to the PS3 Hypervisor Function List. Sadly though, with the exception of lv1_map_device_dma_region none of them are much use... and even with that function you can't DMA to the HV Memory and the only other Memory is Linux so basically useless. :wonky:

http://wiki.ps2dev.org/?do=recent

GeoHot's Twitter, 3 Minutes ago..

Not sure what he is talking about? :wonky:

Basically he was able to read 32 bytes of memory that he was not supposed to, and it was useless - mind you, 32 bytes is not a lot.

For example, an IP address: 192.168.245.250 - 32 Bytes (not including the .'s!) - not too much data at all.

Thanks for that! :tup:

Keep this thread on topic guys... it's for posting geohot's twitter etc updates, not for comparing him or the devs here to others. :rolleyes: Thanks!

From IRC today:

OMG I Idled like 5 days in IRC hoping to see something, and today I'm away and geohot came on IRC. I think that CJPC is getting the hang on the tool, shame that geohot can't experiment with it in RL like CJPC. Would be nice. Those 32Bits it's a great start seeing he started last month with hacking.

Nah, it wasn't in the public channel... that was just set up for people who whined about not having an IRC channel any more. As usual, nothing ever happens in it so it may end up being closed again as only a few people idle there. :p

On IRC geohot just messages CJPC by using /msg CJPC but he doesn't stick around to have a detailed conversation most of the time. :wacky:

This definitely look promising.. Although I personally think the way to go is HDD decryption, and re-encryption.

Which you cannot do since the encryption keys are protected through a long "chain of trust" (as Geohot said) that ultimately leads to the Cell hardware.

That's Trusted Computing (check Wikipedia) and it seems that the PS3 is the first fully functional Trusted Computing device to be largely distributed to people in general, as it has all the requirements for this type of technology. It's very likely that the PS3 itself is a console developed in a way as to test the security of such new tech since we all know any console would be under heavy atack by hackers for obvious reasons.

To me (and I'm no expert) it looks like the only two means by which this type of security would be broken is:
1) Find a way to obtain the private and public endorsement keys somehow via hardware manipulation, since the private key would never be obtained through a virtual environment as it never leaves the chip. I have absolutely no idea if this is even possible at this moment, you know, to read hardware... but eventually, I think it could be done one day.

2) Breach the curtained memmory so the encryption keys might be read. This wouldn't get the private endorsement key but would get the means to communicate and authenticate to it and would open a hole in the chain of trust that could lead not only to the decryption of the HDD but also allow hackers to find ways to spoof remote attestation. This is, I think, the most likely way of doing it on the long run since it's inevitable that one day programmers will understand how curtained memmory works.

So, for now, I think we have to trust the devs work and wait for things to happen.

Oh man - I have posted this few times already and need to do it again: read something about Public-key cryptography (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography) This mechanism ensures that private keys do not need to be present at all on PS3! Only public keys are enough to decrypt/check stuff (it would be quite helpful to be able to be able to decrypt binaries to be able for example to try to find some exploit). So no hardware manipulation will help you at all. And these are still protected by chain of trust...

Ok then, got it about the private/public keys. As I stated earlier, I'm no expert on this subject, so there's no need for flaming. If you know better, please care to explain. I'd appreciate it a lot. ;)

But then again, as quoted from xorloser's blog by PS3News in this very thread:
So how you expect to decrypt anything when every time you try to do it you're taken to a deeper layer of encryption that will only stop at the Cell hardware?

If you cannot obtain any encryption key in the middle of the way and you don't have access to memmory, how else are you supposed to get the keys if not by trying to rip it off the hardware itself? And what do you mean by "no hardware manipulation will help you at all. And these are still protected by chain of trust"?

Geohot is an excellent hacker, sure he would hack the PS3, but after he betrayed the iPhone Dev-Team after leaking their unlock for iPhone 3Gs, it would be hard to trust him.

What I meant is that even if you were able to retrieve the keys from hardware they would be the public keys usable for decrypting the binaries or verifying digital signatures. These keys cannot be used for encrypting/signing binaries (yours - i.e. patched/hacked/...) in a way that would allow you to run them.

what you reckon he is talking about iPhone or ps3

"geohot: i just realized like all cell phone basebands run microkernel OSes. i am now enjoying this project more"

maybe nothing to do with either, always good when a hacker says they are enjoying something though I think :hmm:

i think he was talking about the PS3. i hope he was..

Thanks for the reply, but I still have a few other questions:

What about the keys used by the PS3 to encrypt data, like the HDD? I assume this keys must be stored somewhere inside the PS3, am I right? Isn`t it possible to retrieve them?

And the keys used by Sony to encrypt and sign their software, can`t them be retrieved from files such as a firmware update? That is, if we could read them.

Sorry if I`m being annoying with all those questions, I`m just trying to learn something about encryption/decryption.

No becouse we know that the private key is stored in the Cell.And in case to the Wii the common-key,boot0 and boot1 are also stored in the Wii's security chip = the GPU "Starlight".

So i belive that all importend keys (not only the private one) will be stored in the Cell CPU and what i know till yet no one hase managed to dump it out the Cell. :(~

And in case of to obtain the de-/cryption keys from the FW jump back to line 1 ;)

i hope he can do something with the ps3 Hardware. Nothing is Impossible... and hey... he is a cutie, too xD

Oh thanks a lot! So the information that the private key isn't stored inside the processor is innacurate, isn't it? Now things start to make sense to me again!
And at least for the private key we know for sure that no one will ever dump it, since it never abandons the chip (I wish we had a ship smily... come to think about it, ships remind me of pirates) :eek:

Well, looks like geohot ain't working in the ps3 anymore...
That's pretty sad. Well, it happens... :(~

Is it really? I mean, he would be of great help, no doubts about it, but he didn`t do much anyway. He just started checking the PS3, noticed it wasn`t all that simple and sort of lost interest.

I was too following his post on twitter and the impression I got is that he expected something simpler and faster to do. As no exploit was easily found and he wasn`t finding ways to get to the hypervisor, he kinda gave up for the time being. That`s only my impression though... ;)

My thoughts exactly...

I think your right also, he has lost interest, it seems... really who knows though...

could this be the end of the PS3 & Geohot craze?

I think he didn't lost his intrest or gave up on hacking ps3 but it look like fadeup of tight security of ps3 maybe he's trying some other methods who knows.

Well the ps3 is one tough cookie to hack, so i kinda figured for the start he was going to run into a wall.. a PS3 Wall.. well he did try and E for effort has to be given to him. :hmm:

I second that motion.

He also stated that his college had begun, so maybe he is focusing on his schoolwork. He isn't even going to try to hack iphone 3.1 firmware.

guys, sometimes other things come first like school, family, work and whatnot. Other times people need time to clear some ideas in their heads, at least when Im trying to compile, or make something work it takes days or weeks before I get to the solution.

Some times I try to hard for a couple of days/weeks leave it alone for some days/weeks and when I come back to start over again I find a way because I had time to review everything with a clear head. Like the previous poster said he tried and that doesnt mean that was his last attempt.

Just give him some time. We've waited this long. What's a little more?

Yea I feel his pain sometimes.
This is a very sucessful method that works well for a lot of people.
You have the right attitude and Idea (Remember Patience is a Virtue)

I hope he'll succeed. Patience is a virtue. :)

Is he talking about the PS3?
Maybe this? http://wiki.ps2dev.org/ps3:hypervisor:lv1_copy_lpm_trace_buffer

Nah, if you check the other guy's Twitter (http://twitter.com/chronicdevteam) he is a part of some "Chronic Dev Team" for iPhone stuff... so nothing geohot is talking about is PS3-related recently.

Edit: I'm STICKYing but closing this thread temporarily, mainly because the 5 posts I just removed stated what is already above... there is no new information available as it appears geohot is only doing iPhone stuff lately. :crazy:

When geohot starts getting back to PS3 hacking I will reopen it. :)

Update: It appears geohot is not doing any work, including iphone updates, while he is back at college.