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Has Datel cracked Sony's PSP encryption process?

Posted Dec 24, 2009 at 4:00PM EST by Karl B.

Listed in: PSP Tags: Action Replay, Datel, wololo

Datel has made its name hacking consoles and games. The PSP homebrew community has grown wary of the company, what with the Lite Blue Tool debacle and everything, but it looks like they've gone and done something that homebrew devs so far haven't been able to: crack the PSP's encryption process. Their new Action Replay software seems to point to it.

Homebrew developer Wololo explains what this means to the community better than I can, so here's an excerpt from his recent blog post on the subject:

Action Replay gets installed in the “UPDATE” subfolder of GAME, which is usually reserved for official Sony updates. It therefore means that Datel has figured out how to encrypt/sign EBOOTS, but needs their product to be in the UPDATE folder for some reason (easier to encrypt? Use of some specific access granted to this folder?)

Now, this is not very useful for hackers (and even less for pirates, ha). Yet another encrypted EBOOT to analyze will not bring anything. However, Action Replay allows users to patch memory with codes, so maybe something can be crafted in order to inject unsigned code in the PSP through Action Replay, which could unlock (at least) user mode (and therefore homebrews).

And here's a video of the software. Remember, this works on official firmware and runs on every PSP model including the Go. If you want to play around with it, there's a demo available here.

So, what's next? A Datel custom firmware? I wouldn't be surprised.

Thanks to Silver_Infinity for the tip!

Via [Wololo.net]

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(6)

(1)

Anything that opens up the PSP in the slightest is a great thing, especially for the devs that can pick this thing apart and learn from it. After the devs have picked it apart the benefits will trickle down to us, the end users. Datel has obviously figured out how to launch thier own eboot files in OFW, how can this not be positive?

# Update Folder — AnalogMan 2009-12-25 20:19

Is it in the update folder because eboots in the update folder do not requite PSN specific license files (or any at all for that matter) so this was the only way it could be used on all PSPs?

# Maybe — fang17 2009-12-25 20:54

Datel just paid for the security certificates and encryption procecess...

# Sweet — Uly 2009-12-25 21:36

dax behind the scenes

# ... — bbtgp 2009-12-26 03:51

You cant expect anything from datel because there only in this for the money, hence the $25 price tag on there illegally signed software that was created from bootlegging years of hard work from developers and hackers.

When the scene is long dead and those keys no longer make them a profit then and only then will they release them to the public (if where lucky)...I hope I'm proved wrong though.

# ... — SifJar 2009-12-26 06:14

Hmm, that's a possibility alright. I'd say its either that or perhaps kernel mode access is given to update folder, as it would be needed for installing new firmware, but not for other stuff like PSN games.

# lol — WiiRolled 2009-12-26 07:15

Have you even read what Wololo wrote?

# It work — Soplox 2009-12-26 12:01

I can confirm that it work cuz i'm using it right now on my PSP go 6.20

If only we can figured out how they signed that eboot

# ... — iluvfuz 2009-12-26 14:37

@bbtgp Yeah, just realized that once I saw the "demo" and the $15 key to buy the license.

# hmm — Foolmonkey 2009-12-26 17:19

couldnt sony just update the firmware/eboot signature rendering it useless in mere hours? sure we'd have homebrew on OFW up until now but it's useless for the future. heck, maybe datel cut a deal with sony for the action replay. who knows!?

# @foolmonkey — leq 2009-12-26 17:42

And how would they update the firmware signature in mere hours? Any update they issue has to be readable by a psp. And if it's readable by the psp that means it must be signed under the current key. Therefore, the very update that changes the key could be reverse engineered to reveal whatver the new key is.

# liberty city stories — desukip 2009-12-26 19:35

couldnt we load a cheat that enables the Liberty city stories/gripshit exploits again?

# Lol — ThirstyCow 2009-12-26 22:33

Sony cant change the key because if they do, al previous PSN games will be useless as the eboot of their 'official' eboots cannot be decrypted properly HAHAHAHAHAHA

# >leq — J2Jack 2009-12-27 00:02

doesn't understand cryptography.

At all.

# cj video — TheReaper 2009-12-27 15:16

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkQVhKJtcV0&feature=player_embedded

# -- — TheJoker 2009-12-27 19:04

when i turn on 3 codes for God of War. none of the codes work. im using the PSP Go.

# Card details invalid... — AnalogMan 2009-12-28 12:03

Fair warning, if you go to the Codejunkies site and try to purchase their action replay, and it declines your card due to invalid information, don't retry it, don't push the button 13 times. Because it turns out, they did accept it, and they will charge you 13 times.

Also, their payment offices are based in the UK so make sure your card is allowed to make overseas transactions (luckily mine was not and they were all declined).

# uhh — yoshi314 2009-12-28 14:46

i think you all missed a point by a MILE.

even if datel has figured out how to properly encrypt and sign their action replay, it's not like they are going to share their findings.

same thing happened when they figured out the digital signature process to make unmodded ps2 boot software of memory card (fortunately it was reproduced later by homebrew community).

# no.. — home.grown.twinkie 2009-12-30 15:37

this is more like a gameshark.

Where you can Cheat on Games.

Thats it.

Different Mods for Games.

# -- — TheJoker 2009-12-30 17:08

does any of the codes work for the demo version?

# RE: Has Datel cracked Sony's PSP encryption process? — Guest 2010-04-24 22:46

works on mah psp go with 6.20 ofw ... nice job .... but now i need sum cfw 4 tha GO but there seems 2 b nun

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