Following the recent news that famous security engineer Andy Nguyen has managed to enable debug settings on his own PlayStation 5, we are now receiving claims that the well-known hacking group fail0verflow have been able to extract all symmetric PS5 root keys, including per-console root keys.

While not much information is yet known about the process, it's worth noting that although they are claiming to be able to read the keys for encrypted files, it is likely not possible at this point to re-sign modified files in a way that the system would accept them. However, this remains a very positive first step into gaining further understanding in to how the PlayStation 5 works.

Translation: We got all (symmetric) ps5 root keys. They can all be obtained from software - including per-console root key, if you look hard enough! https://t.co/ulbq4LOWW0

— fail0verflow (@fail0verflow) November 8, 2021

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It is worth mentioning that fail0verflow are famously anti-piracy and once decided against releasing their Wii U exploit knowing it would result in software piracy.

Source

 

[oleg77]

Probably a stupid question...but does this mean PS5 might get a CFW akin to that of the PS3 and PSP?

It might get one (it will get one), but it could be at the end of its commercial life. Or in 3 months. Nobody knows. PS4 launched at the end of 2013 or early 2014 (depending where you live), and we saw a jailbreak online around mid 2018, i think.
In the meantime, why not test the Series S and game pass ?

 

[Tomato123]

That won't mean anything if nobody can buy the console in the first place.

Fair point. But a lot of PS5s, even after the next update, will probably be on vulnerable firmwares because they sat in storage. Likely because they were unsold scalped units. The PS5 I got a few days ago was on the original firmware from the release date and I bought it from a second hand shop.

 

[Sathya]

when SONY read this news:
when Microsoft read this news:
when jim Ryan told the PS5 software security team about this news:
when Satya Nadella announced this news to his team:

 

[jamesjordan]

Good luck with that.
I've been trying to get one for about 6 months now...but shops are always out of stock, and resellers in my area are offering it for around $1500....
Thanks, but no thanks....

 

[bonkmaykr]

Well, that was fast.

 

[DudderButter]

Imagine getting our promise of the PS5 being backwards-compatible with PSX-PS3 through CFW.

 

[ChiefReginod]

There isn't a single PS5 game I would care to play even if they were all completely free, but CFW/homebrew would make me consider buying one.

 

[tabzer]

There isn't a single PS5 game I would care to play even if they were all completely free, but CFW/homebrew would make me consider buying one.

Be careful, you might find yourself wanting to buy games for it. It's a dangerous gateway to play around with.

 

[codezer0]

Be careful, you might find yourself wanting to buy games for it. It's a dangerous gateway to play around with.

For me, at least, Sony's hardware reliability isn't even worth the circuits the console is printed on.

I might have had a reason to get it if backward compatibility was a thing that sony still gave a damn about. But nothing on ps4 appealed to me, like... at all. At least nothing that wasn't also available elsewhere.

 

[tabzer]

For me, at least, Sony's hardware reliability isn't even worth the circuits the console is printed on.

I might have had a reason to get it if backward compatibility was a thing that sony still gave a damn about. But nothing on ps4 appealed to me, like... at all. At least nothing that wasn't also available elsewhere.

The phrasing sounds like Sony is a cheap brand that skimps on hardware. As a brand they are notably reliable, especially compared to other brands of the same field. The PS4 generation was a notable improvement over the PS3 generation, in which it's only mentionable counterpart, Microsoft, had a lot more issues (XBOX 360 RROD).

Anyway, the point of my original comment to @ChiefReginod was that if they were to buy a PS5 for homebrew/cfw reasons, they will put themselves in a situation where they maybe tempted to buy PS5 software. It's a tongue-in-cheek remark to suggest that homebrew/piracy could be boosting sales. It is a true situation for me, anyway--mainly with the Switch and PC.

 

[codezer0]

The phrasing sounds like Sony is a cheap brand that skimps on hardware. As a brand they are notably reliable, especially compared to other brands of the same field. The PS4 generation was a notable improvement over the PS3 generation, in which it's only mentionable counterpart, Microsoft, had a lot more issues (XBOX 360 RROD).

Anyway, the point of my original comment to @ChiefReginod was that if they were to buy a PS5 for homebrew/cfw reasons, they will put themselves in a situation where they maybe tempted to buy PS5 software. It's a tongue-in-cheek remark to suggest that homebrew/piracy could be boosting sales. It is a true situation for me, anyway--mainly with the Switch and PC.

I'm not discounting the issues there were with most 360's. But my experience with Sony's hardware reliability went in the crapper from the day they decided to enter the games industry. Especially with their consoles.

My only 360 RRoD was with a launch unit, and the error only happened because its provided hard drive failed. If I started up the console without it attached, it booted up and loaded a game fine. That said, since I had the Best Buy warranty for the system, they treated it as a total failure and, by then, the price of the Elite dropped just enough for me to upgrade to that. That same Elite is still working and running for me, to this day. I've also never had an original xbox new; all of mine were sold as "for parts" units, and simply, the only ones that broke after were often of my own failings. Most of them were really simple repairs, or finding the requisite parts was easy.

On the same note, only reason I bought into the PSP to begin with was because hacking got to the point that any model could run CFW and a local gamestop at the time had a second-hand go unit for $60. The fact that it was already hacked and preloaded with games was an unexpected and not unwelcome bonus That said, that initial purchase magnified a bunch... I'm presently on my seventh PSP, and only this one so far actually has a working UMD drive.

 

[tabzer]

I'm not discounting the issues there were with most 360's. But my experience with Sony's hardware reliability went in the crapper from the day they decided to enter the games industry. Especially with their consoles.

My only 360 RRoD was with a launch unit, and the error only happened because its provided hard drive failed. If I started up the console without it attached, it booted up and loaded a game fine. That said, since I had the Best Buy warranty for the system, they treated it as a total failure and, by then, the price of the Elite dropped just enough for me to upgrade to that. That same Elite is still working and running for me, to this day. I've also never had an original xbox new; all of mine were sold as "for parts" units, and simply, the only ones that broke after were often of my own failings. Most of them were really simple repairs, or finding the requisite parts was easy.

On the same note, only reason I bought into the PSP to begin with was because hacking got to the point that any model could run CFW and a local gamestop at the time had a second-hand go unit for $60. The fact that it was already hacked and preloaded with games was an unexpected and not unwelcome bonus That said, that initial purchase magnified a bunch... I'm presently on my seventh PSP, and only this one so far actually has a working UMD drive.

Of the Sony brand, their game consoles seem to have the most problems, of all of their products. PSX was never renowned for it's "unreliability", but as for all products from any company, certain types of cases did arise. PS3 was the worse. But I cannot say that I experienced that personally. Anecdotally, I can share this experience of mine:

I never bought a new unit of XBOX 360 or PS3. I bought many of them used. First, I bought an original fat with hardware backward compatibility. It still works. I bought 4 "broken" PS3s and about 8 "broken" XBOX 360s. Of the 4 broken (for parts) PS3s, 2 of them worked fine after resetting the video. 1 had bent HDMI pins, which could be bypassed with a/v. And 1... well that was actually in parts. Someone had dropped it.

All of the Xbox 360s could be repaired, with a couple of them reverting to their RROD state. 1 of them didn't have any problems, as it was the AC adapter that was the problem.

I still don't understand your experience with Sony gaming products. The most I can garner is that you have somehow been through 6 other PSPS. I find that rather unfathomable--if you are suggesting that it is because they would break and/or die. I've been through a couple. Gave one away (fat), traded towards collector's versions (white for blue), and the worst problems I have had with them was their battery bloating or the battery cover breaking it's latch.

 

[Pl4yst4tionRox]

Nowhere in the article was fail0verflow team called infamous

 

[Imancol]

They can be both. Infamous for their hacking and famously (or well known) for being against piracy.

I hate that hacking and Piracy are said the same in Spanish when used in sentences (Pirateria).

The google translator is so bad. I wish I knew how to speak English more fluently. They are very delicate terms that people in my language have not learned to differentiate.

 

[Marc_LFD]

I hate that hacking and Piracy are said the same in Spanish when used in sentences (Pirateria).

The google translator is so bad. I wish I knew how to speak English more fluently. They are very delicate terms that people in my language have not learned to differentiate.

They've twisted it and gave folks unaware the wrong translation.

Hacking could be thought as unlocking so they could use Desbloqueado, but the ones who want to harm the community will use Piratería.

Nothing new that media and corporations mislead and misinform people to fuel the fire.

 

[x65943]

But let's be honest most of the time hacking primarily leads to piracy

They've twisted it and gave folks unaware the wrong translation.

Hacking could be thought as unlocking so they could use Desbloqueado, but the ones who want to harm the community will use Piratería.

Nothing new that media and corporations mislead and misinform people to fuel the fire.

 

[White_Raven_X]

But let's be honest most of the time hacking primarily leads to piracy

I understand what your saying... But the same goes for bad gun laws...guns don't kill people, people kill people. So it all depends what you do with it! Why make a blanket assumption that because you can get keys, you will do something fraudulent. It's just better if they would set things straight for the masses who only read article titles.

But that's a fight nobody will ever win...because titles attract attention.