PlayStation Portable homebrew
Encyclopedia
Exploit (computer security)
An exploit is a piece of software, a chunk of data, or sequence of commands that takes advantage of a bug, glitch or vulnerability in order to cause unintended or unanticipated behavior to occur on computer software, hardware, or something electronic...
s and hacks
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
to execute unsigned code
Unsigned code
Unsigned code refers to an application which has not been signed with the secret key required for it to load on a console.In the video game console business, most console games have to be signed with a secret key designed by the console maker or the game will not load on the console...
on the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
(PSP).
History of homebrew
Soon after the PSP was released, hackers began to discover exploits in the PSP that could be used to run unsigned code on the device. SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
released version 1.51 of the PSP firmware in May 2005 to plug the holes that hackers were using to gain access to the device. On 15 June 2005 the hackers distributed the crack
Software cracking
Software cracking is the modification of software to remove or disable features which are considered undesirable by the person cracking the software, usually related to protection methods: copy protection, trial/demo version, serial number, hardware key, date checks, CD check or software annoyances...
ed code of the PSP on the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Hackers refused to apply updates which would render their hacks unusable so Sony attempted to convince users that there was a benefit to upgrading by including new features in the firmware updates, such as a web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
, and not just security patches to plug the vulnerabilities. BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
dubbed this the "carrot-and-stick" approach.
In August 2005 Sony released version 2.0 of the firmware which included the web browser, file compatibility updates and other features. Hackers and other homebrew
Homebrew (video games)
Homebrew is a term frequently applied to video games or other software produced by consumers to target proprietary hardware platforms not typically user-programmable or that use proprietary storage methods...
enthusiasts then encountered the first trojan
Trojan horse (computing)
A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is software that appears to perform a desirable function for the user prior to run or install, but steals information or harms the system. The term is derived from the Trojan Horse story in Greek mythology.-Malware:A destructive program that masquerades as a benign...
for the PSP. Symantec
Symantec
Symantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...
called this trojan "Trojan.PSPBrick". Users attempting to downgrade
Downgrade
In computing, downgrading refers to reverting software back to an older version; downgrade is the opposite of upgrade. Often, complex programs may need to be downgraded to remove unused or bugged features, and to increase speed and/or ease of use...
their PSP using this software instead found that it was rendered inoperable as this software deleted mandatory/important system files. Over the course of 2005 Sony released six different versions of the firmware and hackers typically responded to it by downgrading to avoid the new security updates.
In Mid-2006, after several months of problems in defeating the PSP's firmware a file was posted online which allowed new PSPs running firmware version 2.6 to downgrade to 1.5 so they could then be hacked using older methods. This reportedly caused more buzz in the community than any recent official offerings for the device.
Dark_AleX
Dark AleX (aka Dark_AleX, Dax) is a SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
programmer
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
who writes homebrew applications for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. Dark AleX, as well as other variations of the name, is a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
under which he works. One of the drawbacks of downgrading the PSP is that new official media may require the presence of a new firmware edition. Dark_Alex had released a custom firmware called "Dark Alex's Open Edition firmware" or "Custom Firmware (CFW)" which opens the firmware but allows users to use the existing feature set of the current edition. Sony quickly patched the firmware again, continuing the cat-and-mouse game with the hackers and users. In 2006 Sony released six updates to the system firmware and in 2007 they released another six updates. In July 2007 Dark_AleX officially stopped his work on the PSP, citing perceived problems with Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
as one of the reasons for his departure.
Some people even suggested that Dark_AleX was paid by Sony not to release any more custom firmware, but Sony denied this.
Custom Firmware allows the running of unsigned code such as homebrew applications and UMD
Universal Media Disc
The Universal Media Disc is an optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on their PlayStation Portable handheld gaming and multimedia platform...
backups, emulators for other consoles, as well as PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
games when the disc images are converted into PSP format.
Motivation for homebrew
Hackers have stated that the motivation for unlocking the PSP has nothing to do with piracyCopyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
, but allowing individuals full access to the products they've purchased and the freedom to do what they want with the item as well as the interest in exploring something unknown. Fanjita, a member of the hacker group "N00bz!", stated,
Additional features added including the ability to emulate and play the ROMs of other consoles, play homebrew games, share music, print photos, watch videos from streaming sites such as YouTube, and run additional video formats originally unsupported by the device.
"Everyone has the right to do what they want with their own hardware. Piracy does upset me, and because what we are doing opens the way to piracy it's harder to justify it morally. But our stance on piracy is clear, and we hope to be role models. Sony have never been in touch with me, so I am confident that what we are doing is legal."
Sony's position
Sony has told the media that any issues resulting from running modified code on the device would void the warranty. They have also stated that the problem is not with homebrew but piracy. However their constant firmware updates are seen as attempts to hamper homebrew development. According to Phillip Torrone from Make Magazine, this hampering could be due to the attempts to curb piracy and may cause more harm than good.
"I think the really smart companies should release their products to the alpha geeks for six months and let the alpha geeks play around with them. It seems to me they'd save a lot of money on R&D, and they'd come out with much more solid products."
However, Sony has also said that, when questioned about homebrew game support, Jack Tretton replied with,
"I think that is something that is in the works. We certainly see some of the stuff that has been done via homebrew, and it's incredibly creative. And I think we'd like to try and tap into that a little bit more."