Hacking Homebrew Request: Tool that Blocks any Communication of PSV with Sony

[Advanced User]

As should be known by now, Sony bans accounts of people who use CFW and sign into PSN, which can lead to you losing lots of paid content.
Additionally, Vita does communicate with Sony when you go online, whether you sign in or not. I'd like to be able to go online (eg to download homebrew updates, to use FTP), but I'd like to prevent any risk of Vita phoning home.
What we need is a Sony Blocker for PSV. Can this be done?

Note: At the moment I block Sony using my router, but of course that only works while I'm at home. I'd prefer simply not having to worry about it anymore.

 

[Advanced User]

Does anyone know where Vita stores Sony's URLs?

 

[Deleted User]

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[Advanced User]

That doesn't seem to work. I used it as primary DNS, then went online, and then I noticed my act.dat was deleted when I restarted my Vita (which I had previously deactivated via Sony's website). Of course I had made a backup of the act.dat, so I just restored it. I wish
yifan_lu @yifanlu would comment...

 

[Deleted User]

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[Pandaxclone2]

Just noting that this isn't going to fix the issue as it stands. Yifan Lu's already pinpointed the cause as one of two problems. All we can do is wait.

If you're really that worried, it's as simple as putting Wi-Fi off when playing your PS Vita games and not visiting the PS Store or PSN when you do have the Wi-Fi on.

 

[CMDreamer]

So far, we can't enjoy the best of both worlds at the same time on the same device. So we need to get two Vitas, one for homebrew and one for that junk called official Vita games and PSN stuff.

Myself, don't need PSN nor that Vita's junk called official games, so I stick with my homebrew and enjoy doing whatever I want with a product I've paid for. Screw you Sunny.

Meanwhile for those that keep trying, I hope a solution for them pops out. But it won't be easy nor soon I'm afraid. That crappy brand owner is trying by all means to ruin the users experience on their very own devices.

 

[Zukov]

That doesn't seem to work. I used it as primary DNS, then went online, and then I noticed my act.dat was deleted when I restarted my Vita (which I had previously deactivated via Sony's website). Of course I had made a backup of the act.dat, so I just restored it. I wish
yifan_lu @yifanlu would comment...

This doesn't answer your need, but Silica created an app (and later a plugin) that sets tm0 as a "read only" folder, so the activation file won't be erased anymore.
I have this issue too. Don't know why is not more spreed among people. Not everyone got it's act.dat deleted when going online, dunno why it is this way.

 

[Advanced User]

This doesn't answer your need, but Silica created an app (and later a plugin) that sets tm0 as a "read only" folder, so the activation file won't be erased anymore.
I have this issue too. Don't know why is not more spreed among people. Not everyone got it's act.dat deleted when going online, dunno why it is this way.

Thanks, but yeah, that's not what I'm looking for. I don't want my PS Vita to talk to Sony at all in order to prevent any risk to my account.

 

[Lokao0]

Pardon me if I'm being dumb for asking something so obvious, but wouldn't signing out of PSN in the Settings do this just fine?

 

[yeshuachrist]

(No, because Sony has been involved in, and not providing clear explanations for password, e-mail, and console status (like primary, etc., changes to ps4 units specifically) I got caught up in that business, and this is around the same time Sony started following Microsoft's Original footsteps of banning consoles with backups, without the SS (Security Sector) patches applied to the 360 backups...............only this time, it is waves of people having their account and consoles plagued by sony.

I took a hammer and smashed the motherboard of the ps4, and I'm not longer using sony or psn, still have the vita and stuff. That a few hundred dollars...........rather then put up with their continual bad taste. I really didn't want to give Sony the pleasure of providing me a solution, with or without the support of the common court. Since I rather be another figure in a wave of users no longer using the service. (thus escaping the abuse, yes, I'm referring to what many users experience, random games getting unlicensed and sony refund offers, etc.)

 

[tech3475]

IIRC/AFAIK the ps3s privacy patch required the firmware itself to be patched but we had the signing key.

The only other options I can think of is either something dns based, even a whitelist approach, or to have a dedicated connection between the vita and computer for ftp with no internet access.

 

[yeshuachrist]

(easiest solution? the firmware itself doesn't actively check for modified files, at least not everything. find out where the network stack is and chop a few things off it, you may be able to find it from Vita Shell. internet addresses are much longer in length than ftp addresses, just a thought)

 

[aos10]

Pardon me if I'm being dumb for asking something so obvious, but wouldn't signing out of PSN in the Settings do this just fine?

that's what i am doing,always signed out,how can sony ban me if i am never online?
however my wireless is on for FTP use.

 

[Advanced User]

Pardon me if I'm being dumb for asking something so obvious, but wouldn't signing out of PSN in the Settings do this just fine?

I am fairly certain that PS Vita talks to Sony when you go online even if you aren't signed it. How else would they delete act.dats of devices that were deactivated using Sony's website? So the best solution would be a Vita firewall that blocks all communication with Sony's servers, or better yet, a patch for the file that contains Sony's URLs. Unfortunately I have found nothing regarding this.