Speculation About PSN Outage Turns to Custom Firmware

[Andy Chalk]

Speculation About PSN Outage Turns to Custom Firmware

Word on the street is that the PlayStation Network outage may have been caused by a custom PS3 firmware that allows unlimited game and content downloads with fake credit card numbers.

The PlayStation Network has been down for the better part of a week and yet at this point, nobody knows Reddit [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109514-Sony-Admits-External-Forces-Brought-Down-PSN], however, credit card numbers are involved but not necessarily in a way that users need to worry about.

Calling himself Chesh420, the moderator wrote that a new custom PS3 firmwave called Rebug was released on March 31. Rebug apparently turns standard PlayStation 3 consoles into semi-developer units, which among other things and with a little bit of effort allows hacked consoles to be put back online. But a few bright folks over at NextGenUpdate [http://www.nextgenupdate.com/forums/] also figured out that because consoles with this firmware installed have access to Sony's private developer network, credit card information isn't checked for validity; in other words, they could gain unlimited download access with fake card numbers.

"What happened next was extreme piracy of PSN content," he wrote. "Sony, realizing the issue here, shut down the network. Now, before you go freaking out about the latest information posted about Kotaku, no one's personal information was accessible via this hack. Not to say they couldn't get it, but no one is admitting to it being available."

It's purely speculation at this point, although Chesh420 claimed that someone with official access to Sony's developer network stated that the company put out a warning today that only debug firmware versions 3.60 and newer will be allowed on the network from this point on. He also posted a four-part timeline backing up his story.


Rebug was released on 3/31/11.
First guides of how to use the dev network to get back on COD games on 4/3/11.
Word of "shady" sites finding a way to pirate PSN content via the dev networks on 4/7/11 (basing this on posts I had to delete on the website).
PSN goes down on 4/20/11


"This is all speculation and information gathered from various devs in the PS3 scene. It might very well not be the real reason PSN is down, but as the timeline fits, it's a reasonable explanation," he wrote. He also explained that in spite of how it may appear, the Rebug firmware isn't actually to blame for this debacle because it, and other custom firmwares, have had access to the developer network all along. "This is not new news for people in the PS3 scene. It's what people have figured out what to do with the said network that has caused all the recent issues," he continued. "Saying that Rebug is what did this is like saying a gun manufacturer is responsible for every death that happens with a gun."

In his most recent update [http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/04/25/psn-update/], posted April 25, Sony's Patrick Seybold said that the work underway on PSN is a "time intensive process" and that he had no further information about when the service might be back online.

via: VentureBeat [http://venturebeat.com/2011/04/25/playstation-network-outage-piracy/]


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[bbad89]

And boom goes the dynamite.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Go hackers go! Sony took down one, but good luck with the rest.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

So, all these fights against piracy...and Sony still hasn't done jack shit about Game Sharing? The most basic form of PS3 piracy?

 

[Tony2077]

i for one blame idiots where ever and who ever they may be

 

[callmegreen]

So, all these fights against piracy...and Sony still hasn't done jack shit about Game Sharing? The most basic form of PS3 piracy?

WTF is game sharing? by that do you mean LITERALY sharing games with your friends ??

 

[Jumplion]

Go hackers go! Sony took down one, but good luck with the rest.

These aren't hackers, these are pirates. If this is true, then they would be producing fraudulent information to download unlimited games at the expense of the developers and publishers. That's not cool and it never should be.

I'm not commenting on the hackers, they're a seperate entity. But, if this is true (and I want to stress that, if this is true) then thanks to pirates, millions of people have lost access to content because of it.

But aside from that, it's really annoying how Sony is keeping us in the dark. Sure, they may be just as clueless as we are, but at least tell us. There's no excuse, not even if it's a free service, to have this much radio silence on this kind of situation.

 

[ShadowKirby]

Go hackers go! Sony took down one, but good luck with the rest.

Yeah man, stealing games is so cool man.... :\

But aside from that, it's really annoying how Sony is keeping us in the dark. Sure, they may be just as clueless as we are, but at least tell us. There's no excuse, not even if it's a free service, to have this much radio silence on this kind of situation.

True, but at the same time, it's just smart business. Investors don't like to hear the guys they give their money to is in the dark. And if they know, they probably don't want too much people knowing this. It's never good to talk too much about weaknesses until you solve them.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

So, all these fights against piracy...and Sony still hasn't done jack shit about Game Sharing? The most basic form of PS3 piracy?

WTF is game sharing? by that do you mean LITERALY sharing games with your friends ??

The name is pretty self-explanatory, isn't it? >_>

It manipulates holes in the, shockingly loose, PS3 DRM to allow multiple users access to each others PSN store purchases...even on other profiles.

 

[WanderingFool]

So basically, the Rebug allows unlimited conetnet from PSN... for free... yeah, I can see Sony wanting to prevent that.

*Edit*

So, all these fights against piracy...and Sony still hasn't done jack shit about Game Sharing? The most basic form of PS3 piracy?

WTF is game sharing? by that do you mean LITERALY sharing games with your friends ??

The name is pretty self-explanatory, isn't it? >_>

It manipulates holes in the, shockingly loose, PS3 DRM to allow multiple users access to each others PSN store purchases...even on other profiles.

So wait, you mean if someone unlocks a specific DLC item, another person could access that same DLC by simply using their profile on that person's PS3?

 

[Jumplion]

So, all these fights against piracy...and Sony still hasn't done jack shit about Game Sharing? The most basic form of PS3 piracy?

Oh man, have I been saying (roughly) the same thing for a while. The whole ordeal with GeoHotz and whatnot have only redistributed Sony's resources into combating something that they shouldn't have needed to fight in the first place, and it's a damn shame.

Fucking hell. Nobody wins, and the biggest losers are the consumers. Can't people just be honest and hardworking?

EDIT: Though on game sharing, didn't they fix that? Could have sworn they did something of it. Probably didn't, though. Whatever.

 

[Wintermoot]

but I thought the latest FW update installed a self destruct feature in case of piracy!
If this turns out to be tru I wonder what they will remove next?

 

[Saltyk]

Until Sony comes out and tells us what has happened, this is, at best, an educated guess. At worst, a lie.

So, assuming this is true. PSN is down because someone found a way to take advantage of the system in a way to gain unlimited games. And this is why we can't have nice things. People just love to fuck it up for everyone else.

 

[Tony2077]

i for one blame idiots where ever and who ever they may be

I blame Sony to!

really you got Sony from that hm i must be slipping

 

[mjc0961]

If it's true, $10 says Sony doesn't sue those guys. Never mind that, unlike GeoHot, these are the actual people who are stealing from them and the publishers and developers who partner with Sony to put content on the Playstation Store. Never mind that, unlike GeoHot, these are the actual people who massively violated the Playstation Network Terms of Use. Never mind that, unlike GeoHot, these are the actual people who went so far that they had to bring PSN down and it's been down for a week now, meaning they and their previously mentioned partners aren't making any money from people who want to pay for their products. And never mind that, unlike GeoHot, these are the actual people who use PS3 cracks and custom firmware to disrupt services for Sony's customers.

Bottom line is, these guys actually did something that is very wrong and quite undeniable so if these accusations are true. If they are, these guys deserve every possible thing that Sony could throw at them if they wanted to and nearly every single Playstation customer out there would love to see them get their due. But Sony won't go after them, because that would make Sony look good. No, Sony only goes after people when they can look like massive assholes doing it (not just GeoHot; anyone else remember the time they sued Lik Sang into oblivion for having the audacity to sell PSPs?).

Go ahead, Sony. Prove me wrong. Ruin these people if they actually did what has been described in this news post. I've got a hat here that's looking pretty tasty, and I'd love a reason to eat it as well as a reason to buy Twisted Metal and Ratchet and Clank All 4 One when they come out instead of selling off everything I own that has the words "SONY" printed on it.

 

[viranimus]

Yup didnt see this coming.

Funny how this happens just days after the geohotz settlement. Its almost like this was planned to give more credence to Sonys "Piratz be killing us!"

I call shenanigans.