PSP 2.00 hacked

By Tom Bramwell Published 26 September, 2005

Ah, the buffer overflow... Plus: white PSP clip-ons. That's just cheating.

Naughty hackers have broken through the increased security measures Sony introduced with the PSP's 1.51/2 and 2.00 firmware, according to a variety of reports.

Good news for homebrew software developers, who just want to make interesting applications and things like emulators – but bad news for Sony, for whom the potential piracy implications will be a bigger issue.

Sony has yet to comment on the 2.00 breakthrough, but we'd imagine the loop – which involves an exploit based on the wallpaper feature introduced with 2.00 – will be closed in future firmware updates.

For a while there it looked like those without PSPs running version 1.5 firmware were going to be robbed of homebrew software applications for a long time. There was talk of software that reverted 1.52 and 2.00 firmware to 1.5, but that evaporated after – from what we can gather – the hackers working on it threw their toys out of the pram. Now it looks like homebrew fans might be saved thanks to one of the oldest and dearest tricks in the book – the buffer overflow.

Regular everyday PC hackers have used similar tricks for ages – give something more data than it can handle and then see if you can get the overflow to execute. Apparently, after a bit of fooling around, somebody thought of embedding a bit of code on the end of a ludicrously large wallpaper file, and then uploading it to the PSP and seeing if it could be executed – and it worked.

Gizmodo sums it up best (and funniest) – "first off, this entire process sounds as arcane and exciting as making special monkey brain sausage AND second off it means that someone out there sat down and said 'Hmmm... So I'll make a really big PSP wallpaper and embed byte code in it. Just for kicks. You know, because I'm not dating anyone right now.'" Quite so. Already there are "Hello World" programs doing the rounds and other demo-style offerings. How long before we see emulators?

Sony will presumably close the loop on this in a security update or in the next major firmware version, assuming there is one – and that's understandable given the potential piracy concerns – but we'd imagine people will be warier of applying the update this time around. And, with the PSP now launched worldwide, Sony will have to act speedily if it wants to stop the spread – most units are now 1.52 (Europe/US) and the new Japanese white models are 2.00, but if both are hackable then it's not going to be enough. Some game software claims not to work on older firmware, but we've already seen workarounds for this.

Meanwhile, a company called China Xtreme Enterprise has announced an "Asterix" cover for the PSP, which is basically a white faceplate that people can snap onto the front of their black PSP to make it look like the new "ceramic" model released in Japan earlier this month. It won't have the white backside, but it will be pretty convincing. And on that note – whatever Sony does about the 2.00 exploit, we're pretty convinced it'll want to shut down this particular enterprise. You can see a picture of the Asterix cover over on Kotaku.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (31) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ali-uk #1 6 years ago

    You can always rely on the resourcefulness of hackers. Serves Sony right for locking out all the homebrew stuff.

  • Ecanem #2 6 years ago

    Woohooo! =)

  • kangarootoo #3 6 years ago

    Well, you have to expect Sony to want to secure their platform. I'm not sure if it "serves them right" particularly.

    This is probably no great surprise to them either. Obviously the particular exploit was a surprise or they wouldn't have left it open, but I think that after all this time they are probably quite aware that their security isn't going to be infallible. They will fix this hole, and then sit and wait for the next hack I would expect.

  • tonynibbles #4 6 years ago

    HAXXX000RZZZZ 4 T3H W1N!!!!!111!!1!!!

  • Netfreak #5 6 years ago

    Sony fanboys ripping on MS for flaws in the vulnerability in Windows OS. This only proves that Sony is no better at making unhackable software.

  • abigsmurf #6 6 years ago

    hope they code a loader so you can use all the existing homebrew rather than needing to re-program everything

  • gamingdave #7 6 years ago

    This method may work, it may not. AFAIK at the moment it can only boot upto 64KB of code, which is less than the current loaders for 1.5

    Hope they can though, its not just emulation thats fun, but the fact dumps of your own games load so so so much faster. I was getting a bit pissed off with the PSP on certain games due to loading issues.
    Edited by 1 at 26/09/05 @ 18:00

  • StixxUK #8 6 years ago

    why should Sony be pissed off about this white face plate?

  • RabidMonkey #9 6 years ago

    Cause, why would people pay a hundred-odd pounds for a ceramic white PSP when they could just buy this thing for their regular PSP.

  • Pirotic #10 6 years ago

    i think black looks better, at least until they make a transparent one and then i'll have to fork out another £170. I love anything electrical which is transparent and lets you nosey around inside.

  • paralipsis #11 6 years ago

    If someone gets ScummVM running on a 2.00 PSP I will be one very happy gamer.

  • #12 6 years ago

    HAXXX000RZZZZ 4 T3H W1N!!!!!111!!1!!!

    \o/ Never underestimate the ingenuity of a homebrewer*

    homebrewer being the pirate who stand to make a shit-load of money out of selling copied games.

    Can't wait to see how long it takes them to get inside the 'unbreakable' 360...

  • Planet #13 6 years ago

    Sorry to say, but it is still far from being the "real deal". Besides the fact that the programm can only be 64K in size, it will be run in user mode. To do anything really interesting it has to run in kernel mode, but that is currently out of reach. This might be the right starting point to achieve that eventually, but it might also not at all.

    It is like having picked the lock on a door that has still 5 sturdy chains attached inside, and the gap is too small to slide a usefull tool through it.

  • StixxUK #14 6 years ago

    White PSPs cost an extra £100? That's SHIT!

  • dadrester #15 6 years ago

    no it servers them right, nintendo aren't exactly fond of homebrew for the GBA and DS but they dont go overboard like Sony.

    miyamoto even signed the back of a homebrew GBA game.

    err?! do you not read the games press? nintendo are the most paranoid lot of the bunch. closing websites, going after individual coders/hackers and not adopting cheaper, more space efficient media in favour of far worse storage formats just to avoid this sort of thing... besides, sony wanting to stop piracy on their new platform is hardly surprising.

    ok they might have released a net yaroze type of homebrew sdk, but that wouldn't have stopped the hackers. how exactly have they gone "overboard"? by releasing a web browser? by adding more mp4 supprt? by fixing annoyances?

    and miyamoto signing the back of someone's flashcart is hardly indicative of nintendo's attitude. for a start he'll put his signature to anything... just look at mario baseball ;) i'm sure if you presented ken kutaragi with your own impressive homebrew app and kissed his arse enough with it he'd sign it for you. but that's not his corporate view.

  • Xerx3s #16 6 years ago

    "Can't wait to see how long it takes them to get inside the 'unbreakable' 360... " - who said the 360 was unbreakable? As far as i know ms never said that. They said that security was increased significantly. Heh, doubt that you will catch ms on saying that their stuff cant be hacked, considering that a hacker finds a new exploit in one of their products every week or so...

  • captain-future #17 6 years ago

    nobody said the x360 was unbreakable. that dude was realistic.

  • #18 6 years ago

    yep, M$ said they fully expect it to be hacked eventually.

  • teabagger #19 6 years ago

    "They will fix this hole, and then sit and wait for the next hack I would expect."

    Plus I'm sure there is at least *some* awareness that the homebrew scene shifts units, much the same as the modchip scene contributing heavily to the XBox success.

    Nothing is unbreakable. The whole point of security is not to make it impossible (you can't) but to make it difficult.
    Edited by 1 at 27/09/05 @ 09:12

  • mattius30 #20 6 years ago

    Ah how cute, you people all chat and joke about hacking and piracy likes it legal... I find it rather depressing actually as I wonder what would the state of the games industry be if EVERYONE were hackers and pirates. There will be no market to make games - and all we will be left with are crappy, homebrew apps. Why do hackers feel like they are part of an elite, privilaged few that can get away with these activities? And when a company turns round and tries to protect its intellectual property people cry 'no fair'!!!!

    To me its just the typical rantings of an imbecile thief.

    To say Sony 'deserve' to be hacked and pirated is like saying, you may put locks on your windows and doors but it just inspires me more to break in and steal all your stuff. If you got burgled would you blame yourself for making an effort to protect your stuff?

  • teamonkey #21 6 years ago

    There's a lot you can do in 64K. Elite, anyone?

  • Kafeen #22 6 years ago

    i think black looks better, at least until they make a transparent one and then i'll have to fork out another £170. I love anything electrical which is transparent and lets you nosey around inside.
    The people who make the white faceplate do a transparent one aswell.

  • sonmi451 #23 6 years ago

    'analogue nub' ....

    ace band name.

  • optimusprym8 #24 6 years ago

    Re: replacement faceplates - the company clearly states that instructions are provided as are all the necessary replacement buttons (which I guess says "You will ruin them doing this";) but I think it's a fantastic thing to happen and I hope for the love of god that Sony doesn't jump on it and close them down. I want the silver one for sure and maybe a white one so that I can do my own custom design on it, like in the EDGE article about homebrew PSPs.

    Faceplates are the way to go, who wants a black one like everyone else?

  • eric2k5 #25 6 years ago

    Chrono Trigger, Super Mario All-Stars, Street Fighter II on my PSP soon hopefully!

    Get in!

    *claps hands 'til Daddy gets home*

  • Yazoo #26 6 years ago

    OR JUST DOWNGRADE

  • TedBaker #27 6 years ago

    Sony is just a worthless company these days. They buy companies, they miniaturise... Where's the innovation? MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!

  • Teeth #28 6 years ago

    "There's a lot you can do in 64K. Elite, anyone?"

    Or, indeed, Exile!

  • TedBaker #29 6 years ago

    Impossible Mission!

    http ://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=1283

    and of course, Paradroid. \o/
    Edited by 1 at 28/09/05 @ 10:44

  • Mike_Hunt #30 6 years ago

    mattius30
    To say Sony 'deserve' to be hacked and pirated is like saying, you may put locks on your windows and doors but it just inspires me more to break in and steal all your stuff. If you got burgled would you blame yourself for making an effort to protect your stuff?

    If I charged people £35 just to walk across my doorstep then I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to find alternative means to enter.

    Low the price of games to something that resembles a sensible amount and you'll find that piracy will reduce dramatically.

    That said, I'm sure the vast majority of people seeking to break through the firmware are those who want to run emulators rather than cracked PSP games.

    [MH]

  • mattius30 #31 6 years ago

    Just because someone can't afford to buy a game, it gives them the right to steal it through hacking and pirating? How ridiculous - that's the same argument for any chav caught nicking in their local 'offy'.

    But you know, what you say makes some crazy kind of sense!!! This could be just a wild guess here, but maybe if EVERYTHING was really cheap, there would be less burglary?

    There is a reason games cost as much as they do - and if a person can't afford the hobby, they shouldn't resort to illegal activities. Or call me crazy when I suggest that they actually save their money and BUY the game they want like the average law abiding citizen...

    There is absolutely no argument that can justify hacking and pirating. The whole scene is based on the idea that those that do it are unique and special and beating the system cos the games are too expensive. But if we all felt like that, the bottom would fall out of the industry.

  • Mike_Hunt #32 6 years ago

    I didn't claim that they have a right to copy it. It's more of a reason. If they are going to overprice software (and I don't think anyone can argue that £35 for a handheld game is nothing short of daylight robbery) then expect more people to head down the route of wooden legs and inflatable parrots on their shoulders.

    Lower the cost of games to something more reasonable and you'll find that few people pirate games, profits will increase and you'll have a much happier customer base. I'm not saying that this will irradicate piracy, but it will at least reduce it by large amounts. People are *always* going to find ways around anti-piracy measures, what companies should focus on is discouraging them from copying games rather than trying to make the impossible possible.

    Look at the music industry for example. They're only recently starting to embrace new technologies such as downloading music over the 'net. However, what they're still doing is continuing to overcharge people. 85p for an MP3? Cram that past your fat wallet and up your ass thankyou. There is no way I'm paying almost as much for a bunch of "1s" and "Os" as I would for an actual CD. Lower the cost to a more sensible 15p a track and you'll find that the vast majority of people will buy things through legitimate channels.

    [MH]