Now this is a very interesting case, according to the reports at the Playstation 3 forums, it seems Sony has blocked “75% of 3rd Party USB” peripherals with their latest firmware update. Yep, that means anything not licensed by Sony can be disabled via USB, which unfortunately includes many 3rd party controllers (such as the PS3 MadCatZ controller).

A surprising and poor move by Sony. Even more of a reason to not update.

Information from Sony about Counterfeit controllers which was posted a few days ago:
“Counterfeit PlayStation®3 Wireless Controllers, which are practically identical in appearance to genuine PlayStation®3 Wireless Controllers, have been discovered in the market. SCEA advises consumers to be cautious when buying PlayStation®3 Wireless Controllers from uncertain sources as the quality, reliability and safety of counterfeit products is uncertain, and in some cases, may be dangerous. It is possible that some counterfeit product may ignite or explode, resulting in injury or damage to the user, your PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, or other property. Moreover, SCEA does not support continued functionality of counterfeit or unlicensed controllers in system software updates and these devices may cease to function in the future because of system software updates.”

Let us know, if you have updated, of 3rd party USB devices you have found not working.

Unfortunately it seems that those of you that were using the various proxies, to bypass the firmware update, are now blocked from accessing PSN.

Various forum users have posted having problems and a few of you have came on IRC looking for help, also esteemed console guru Mathieulh,

stated this via his Twitter:

The consumers ps3 3.15 Firmware can no longer connect to the psn. P.S. I still strongly advise anyone not to update their consoles to 3.21.

So for those of you having problems, have patience and do not update, regardless of how much you are tempted.

If you have not heard by now, Sony plans to block OtherOS on FW 3.21 on April 1st. This seems to have made GeoHot angry and he has posted two new blog posts expressing his anger to Sony and promising PS3 custom firmware.

Don’t Update
A note to people interested in the exploit and retaining OtherOS support, DO NOT UPDATE. When 3.21 comes out, I will look into a safe way of updating to retain OtherOS support, perhaps something like Hellcat’s Recovery Flasher. I never intended to touch CFW, but if that’s how you want to play…

His second post:

Wait, you are removing a feature?
First off, I want to apologize to all the people who use Linux on their PS3. Before releasing, I weighed the pros and cons, and considered the possibility of an impact on OtherOS support. My logic was this. OtherOS support had already been removed from the Slim(not for technical reasons; I believe it only existed in the first place to promote the Cell for IBM) The builders had apparently no intention of including it in future products. So for the purposes of openness why not release? Not like anything else has(or probably will be) done on the PS3.

Now you go and remove a feature that people expected to be included with the expensive device they purchased, citing “security concerns”. What security concerns? It’s not like the exploit can be run even close to without the users knowledge. You have to open the fucking thing up. How could this harm users? Your blog post doesn’t list positive reasons for upgrading like I think most users expect. Instead it lists things you will lose if you don’t upgrade. Seriously?

The PlayStation 3 is the only product I know that loses features throughout it’s life cycle. Software PS2 emulation, SACD playback, and OtherOS support are all just software switches you can flip. It’s unbelievable you would go and flip one, not just on new boxes you are shipping, but on tens of millions already in the field.

Again I’m sorry users. Sony, I expected more from you.

Maybe this was the boost we were waiting for? Time will only tell now in the next few days, and remember not to upgrade your PS3 for the time being.

[VIA]

Yes you heard it, no its not an April Fools joke. Sony has confirmed and posted on their blog today that FW 3.21 will go live this Thursday, and it will block OtherOS. We highly recommend the hacking scene to stay away from updating their PS3 coming this Thursday. This is in no doubt Sony’s response to GeoHots PS3 hack.

The next system software update for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) system will be released on April 1, 2010 (JST), and will disable the “Install Other OS” feature that was available on the PS3 systems prior to the current slimmer models, launched in September 2009. This feature enabled users to install an operating system, but due to security concerns, Sony Computer Entertainment will remove the functionality through the 3.21 system software update.

In addition, disabling the “Other OS” feature will help ensure that PS3 owners will continue to have access to the broad range of gaming and entertainment content from SCE and its content partners on a more secure system.

Consumers and organizations that currently use the “Other OS” feature can choose not to upgrade their PS3 systems, although the following features will no longer be available;

* Ability to sign in to PlayStation Network and use network features that require signing in to PlayStation Network, such as online features of PS3 games and chat
* Playback of PS3 software titles or Blu-ray Disc videos that require PS3 system software version 3.21 or later
* Playback of copyright-protected videos that are stored on a media server (when DTCP-IP is enabled under Settings)
* Use of new features and improvements that are available on PS3 system software 3.21 or later

For those PS3 users who are currently using the “Other OS” feature but choose to install the system software update, to avoid data loss they first need to back-up any data stored within the hard drive partition used by the “Other OS,” as they will not be able to access that data following the update.

Additional information about PS3 firmware updates, including v3.21 (once it becomes available), can be found here:

http://us.playstation.com/support/systemupdates/ps3/index.htm

PS3 owners who have further questions should contact Consumer Services:

http://us.playstation.com/support/ask/

800-345-7669 (800-345-SONY)

Definitely a shocking move on Sony’s part, dropping entire Linux support on PS3 (not to mention many people/companies who use the PS3 Linux/otheros feature).

What is your take/opinion on this? Post and let us know.

[VIA]

SKFU has stumbled across a new patent for a method to protect against encrypted section attacks

To quote from SKFU blog and patent below:

Recently a new patent by a SONY employee was published on the patent site at faqs.org. It seems it is SONY’s answer for Geohot’s progress. Take a look here:

“A method, system, and computer-usable medium are disclosed for controlling unauthorized access to encrypted application program code. Predetermined program code is encrypted with a first key. The hash value of an application verification certificate associated with a second key is calculated by performing a one-way hash function. Binding operations are then performed with the first key and the calculated hash value to generate a third key, which is a binding key. The binding key is encrypted with a fourth key to generate an encrypted binding key, which is then embedded in the application. The application is digitally signed with a fifth key to generate an encrypted and signed program code image. To decrypt the encrypted program code, the application verification key certificate is verified and in turn is used to verify the authenticity of the encrypted and signed program code image. The encrypted binding key is then decrypted with a sixth key to extract the binding key. The hash value of the application verification certificate associated with the second key is then calculated and used with the extracted binding key to extract the first key. The extracted first key is then used to decrypt the encrypted application code.”

You can read the full patent here.

[VIA]