PSP Go Hacked

Kris Erickson • Oct 4, 2009 • Comments ()

The latest efforts to hack Sony's PSP Go show that the weakest link in the security chain is still savegame data from older PSP games. Previously, hackers used an exploit in the game GripShift to unlock security on the PSP 3000 motherboard. Because new hardware has to be compatible with legacy games, exploitable code can still be found that will allow a malicious user to gain access to restricted parts of the PSP Go and run unofficial or 'unsigned' code.

A mere 48 hours after the official launch of Sony's new PSP Go, the device appears to have been hacked. A homebrew coder going by the name of FreePlay has successfully entered user mode on a PSP Go running the latest firmware (Version 6.10). In the video demonstration below, he successfully reboots the PSP Go into user mode and successfully dumps the contents of Firmware 6.10 onto his memory stick. Currently this hack does not allow any use of pirate ISO games or custom firmware, and FreePlay does not intend to develop it into a homebrew loader.

The twist in this particular hack is that it uses the savegame data from a downloadable PSN title, not a UMD game. So far the hack only works with this one mystery game, and FreePlay isn't telling us which one it is. This creates obvious problems for a usable hack, because Sony could easily remove the PSN game and patch it once the exploit is made public. Hackers will have to analyze the exploit and attempt to reproduce it in other circumstances before anything like a homebrew loader becomes a reality.

Just the Facts:

• Hacker discovers exploit in a PSN game and uses altered savegame data to enter user mode
• Demonstrates a firmware dump of version 6.1 to memory stick
• Later creates "Hello World" proof of concept
• Hack currently cannot run pirate ISOs or custom firmware