Leaks, chaos and drama have been something common, and on the heels of the PsVita chaos comes the PS3s turn with both good and bad news. This event is so huge that it will completely change the PS3 hacking scene and leave Sony in the wake.
Sony will be turning in their graves today as the PS3 has been basically blown wide open thanks to other events leading up to that. In the wake of this leaves Sony in huge trouble and mostly exhausted due to the amount of progress the hacking scene has made on their devices especially with the recent Psvita PSP EMU kernel exploit. It’s been absolute chaos in the PS3 scene for the last few days and fair enough to say has been chaotic over the last few years. Ill break down what happened and what this means for the developers and users, keep reading….
Background Information
The similarity in events is extremely blatant but its started a little over two years ago when the first piracy-enabled firmware and USB dongle combo named the “PS3Jailbreak” was released. The release nuked a weakness in the PS3′s simple USB protocols. This in return created a hole allowing the OS to be patched that furthermore allowed content to run from the HDD. In the aftermath the group fail0verflow allowed people to encrypt files in a mirror system that replicated Sony s methods. Of course this lead to tons of piracy and eventually Geohot’s public release of the “metldr” root key. Sony got really mad in short and decided to bring the ban hammer down on Geohot who has yet to be heard from recently. Sony found a way to protect their system by fixing everything in the system with the 3.60 firmware update. The jailbreak was patched, the USB exploit patched and left the system somewhat secure, until now in association with the new PS3 4.30 firmware update.
So what happened?
The jerks, which is an understatement, that have been behind the PS3 dongle business will always be hated and trashed constantly and the recent stunt from the people behind the BlueDiscCFW team just put a nail in the coffin. A hacking group called “The Three Musketeers,”, in short, had the Lvl0 keys which were leaked. The Three Musketeers were not going to release the keys because of the known outcome of doing so. The Chinese hacking team “BlueDiscCFW,” somehow got a hold of the keys and planned to charge money for users who wanted the exploit. Its disgusting they would do that and The Musketeers realized this. With that in mind, The Three Musketeers tried to immediately stop BlueDiscCFW’s profiting from the LV0 exploit, The Three Musketeers released the LV0 custom firmware free to the public. The funny part is the BDCFW was taken down immedietly. The Three Musketeers released a statement on it saying
“You can be sure that if it wouldn’t have been for this leak, this key would never have seen the light of day, only the fear of our work being used by others to make money out of it has forced us to release this now.”
It was a two faced leak and is oddly similar to that Sam Jordam incident or Linux hack. They then released a full announcement and statement on the matter:
As this was a group effort, we wouldn’t normally have lost a word about it
ever, but as we’re done with PS3 now anyways, we think it doesn’t matter
anymore [http://pastie.org/4462324]. Congratulations to the guy that leaked
stuff, you, sir, are a 1337 haxx0r, jk, you’re an asshole.Try this bytes…
– [erk=CA7A24EC38BDB45B98CCD7D363EA2AF0C326E65081E0630CB9AB2D215865878A]
– [riv=F9205F46F6021697E670F13DFA726212]
– [pub=A8FD6DB24532D094EFA08CB41C9A72287D905C6B27B42BE4AB925AAF4AFFF34D
41EEB54DD128700D]
– [priv=001AD976FCDE86F5B8FF3E63EF3A7F94E861975BA3]
– [ctype=33]
…and be amazed.People should know that crooked personalities are widespread in this so
called ‘scene’. Some people try to achieve something for fun together and make
the wrong decision to trust others and share their results with them, but ofc
there got to be the attention seeking fame wh*** that has to leak stuff to
feel a little bit better about him-/herself.
Now the catch is that it works like this in every ‘scene’, just that in
|others it usually doesn’t come to light.
The only sad thing is, that the others who worked on this won’t get the
attention they deserve because they probably want to remain anonymous (also
they don’t care about E-fame <3).
PS: This is neither about drama nor E-fame nor ‘OMG WE HAZ BEEN FIRST’, we
just thought you should know that we’re disappointed in certain people. You
can be sure that if it wouldn’t have been for this leak, this key would never
have seen the light of day, only the fear of our work being used by others to
make money out of it has forced us to release this now.
[-The Three Musketeers]
What does this mean?
With the release of the LV0 keys mean, eventually, having all the keys available. The LV0 is not patchable, which is to say there is nothing at all Sony can do to fix this. The final bullet in the chamber as hit Sony hard. What actions they will take are not known, but if things continue in the scene I can garuntee they will be pushing the date of the PS4 closer as new hardware is really all they can do. Sony already moved all the loaders. The only other option would be to put the loaders in bootldr, but that isn’t possible since bootldr is locked to being console specific and is impossible to update. Behind LV0 is just bootldr, which is encrypted with specific console keys. This leak will in time lead to a 4.25 CFW which can be installed on mostly any PS3 even on Slims and the recent new slim models. Keep in mind that fail0verflow released metldr private keys like I said above. Well, surprise, metldr is loaded by lv0ldr, even on 3.60+. The leak contains a private key, it’s the string after PRIV=. The greatest part is that the key isn’t tied up to a specific firmware. The problem with 3k model Playstation3 consoles is that they have a new LV0 version named lv0.2, which means new keys for the loader. What this means is that consoles which are able to downgrade to 3.55 can install 4.25 CFW even if they’re on 4.25 OFW. The bad news incorporated with this is that 3K and higher consoles’ LV0 keys are static, they are not console specific. Sony can change LV0 with a new firmware update. But, bootldr is per console and is the way of decryption for LV0. If we have bootldr then the console is wide open and a CFW could be made to work on any console. Bootldr cannot be changed or denied unless there is a hardware change. Even if we had bootldr then anyone with a downgradable console could have a CFW firmware. Whoever has bootldr and wanted to leak it would bring the greatest massacre and ban-hammer of all time by any company ever, I can garuntee whoever releases it will have no where to run or hide so it would of course need to be anonymous to highest level with no traces to be found. Bootldr is something that’s way more protected and valuable than metldr.
Closing Statement
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This always annoys me xD
1. fail0verflow DID NOT cause piracy. The USB Dongles did that. Nobody knows where the USB exploits came from.
2. fail0verflow gave us a way to bring back Linux (OtherOS) to the PS3, WITHOUT giving a security exploit that can cause piracy.
3. GeoHot later released the metldr keys which cracked open the entire system till 3.60. GeoHot is not a part of fail0verflow.
4. Sony changed the chain of trust with the 3.60 firmware. Leaving metldr out of it and having lv0 load all the other stuff.
5. Now lv0 is cracked and the only way to solve it for Sony is to release a new hardware revision.Sources:
1. Presentation of fail0verflow at 27C3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4loZGYqaZ7I
2. http://www.ps3devwiki.com/wiki/Boot_Order#Chain_of_trust_Diagram_3.60.2B.2B -
And what about 4.30 update? Will i be able to install CFW in time, if i update my v2 SLIM to 4.30 and other ofw Sony will release further?
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Muchas gracias
Arigatou gosaimasu
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Gozaimasu is spelled with a Z, not a S. “Gozaimasu” is the correct spelling
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ありがとうございました!
日本語は難しい ;_;-
はい、 その鳥です。 日本語は本当に素晴らしい、でも
難しいですね。
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You realize that all romanization of Japanese is an approximation of the language? In other words, correcting peoples’ spelling of an approximation is not all that bright.
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Maybe in some cases, but not always. The Hiragana alphabeth is set to fixed translations, that one sign mean one spelling. I’ve never seen that this could be used very flexible, as but i might be wrong.
The reason why i mentioned it is because when starting to learning japanese, one often start with a lot of Romaji. Therefor it can be important to learn the correct spelling to begin with. If you think one word is spelled a certain way in Romaji, if you try to apply/translate this to Hiragana, then you get spelling error.
In this case, if you translate “gosaimasu” to Hiragana, you get “ごさいます”. This is not the correct spelling. The correct spelling is “ございます”.
I don’t see why you think it is not to bright to point this out. Nothing negative towards Gustbran, just a tip to correct the spelling
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is there allready a way to hack your ps3 and play online without buying a dongel for duoboot??(without spoofing so you wont get banned)
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Good article
There is one question that i’m wondering about of all of this. Right now i know you need to be on firmware 3.55 to be able to install CFW 4.21. But is possible to modify a PS3 firmware so that it can be installed on even the newest OFW without downgrading? Like making a CFW that removes some security checks, so that the PS3 think it is a new firmware. Or do you need the new private keys to sign the CFW? That is the biggest question i’m wondering about of all this.
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And about Vita hacking, i can’t see how this will change anything. From what i know, the PS just acts like a Content Manager. The Content Manager excist on PC as well, and PC is the most open platform out there. I don’t see any need to go through the PS3 first when everything can be done directly between the PC and the Vita.
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Sad news for Sony. I can visualize a lot of developers walking away from Sony.
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Why would they do that?
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He probably doesn’t realize that this only works if you’ve got a way to downgrade to 3.55 or are still on 3.55?
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That could be. But even so, piracy doesn’t necessarily becomes a huge problem, especially not this late in the PS3 life cycle
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the downfall has begun!
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Considering you can only install this from 3.55 or below and that the majority of people don’t have flashers to downgrade, this is the furthest thing from blown open. The PS3 is still pretty closed.
It’s gonna be blown wide open when you can install a cfw from 4.25 or 4.30.
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This is why the PS3 scene SUCKS. Everyone is scared of $ony. I’M NOT! Release ANYTHING under my name and let them come after me. F! $ONY!
And the devs have all the keys but refuse to release them. They can make their own CFW but again just refuse to.
When will the PS3 scene devs GROW UP! Dont hold onto what the public want. WHY even go find that exploit or key or whatever if your never going to release it? Thats just stupid.The sooner its released the more others can get it and use it. its NOT YOUR CONSOLE, ITS MINE, HIS, HERS, THEIRS, NOT $ONYs, NOT YOURS so if you release the keys and someone makes a CFW and that CFW gets installed on MY PS3 then thats MY choice and MY problem. If $ony want to be pricks and ban my console, oh they already did. BASTARDS! They banned my console so they no longer want control over it so I can and will install whatever firmware I want on it.
They wont ban everyones console. All that will do is piss people off and they will go get Xbox360′s so Micro$oft will be really happy if $ony ban everyones console. $ony will loose customers and money. REALLY STUPID MOVE $ONY. I HAVENT brought a game since you banned my console. FU!
SO the sooner the devs grow up and release what they find the better for US, the end user. The OWNER of the console. It’s OUR console so lets do what WE want with hit.
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Maybe regarding the hardware, but the software is still under copyright. If i buy a piece of software, it is not 100% mine. If it was 100% mine, it would mean that i could copy it and give it away for free to everyone online. I’m not allowed to do that even if i bought a game/program/movie.
Why did you get banned by the way?
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They wont tell me why it got banned except it breeched the TOC. I did nothing but have CFW installed. I NEVER played any games online and as I was on 3.55 and there was no spoof for online and 3.60 was the current firmware I’m not sure why they banned me. I wasn’t online, I could’ve and still can flash a OFW in it which will show NO signs of customizations or homebrew so there really is no proof from them that I did breech TOC.
The closest I could think is on the forums I said there is a way to cheat OFFLINE and they didn’t like me saying that so they banned me from the forums then 2 weeks later my console got banned.Did you buy the console, ITS YOURS. Did you buy the game, ITS YOURS.
Its the same as the fruit growers saying you are allowed to buy an apple but you arn’t allowed to make it into a pie, you can only eat it the way we say. You will be pissed and make a pie anyway. Its the same for the console and the games. Its now MY console in MY house. if I want to open it up and modify it I can. If I want to backup the game and run it from USB then I can. I paid for it and I choose to do that to it and nobody can stop me. Its my house and in here I make the rules and I say we can do that.
They dont like it then they can go have a cry. $ony will be crying for the next few months from the leaked keys anyway.-
I see. Yeah, if you posted on the Playstation forum with your PSN account, that counts towards the PSN rules i think. It is weird that your console got banned because of this though. I havn’t heard of anyone getting banned because of PS3 CFW, but that is interesting. I think that Sony has a way to detect CFW.
Yeah, i don’t think that anyone cares if you only modify your own stuff. The problem is more when people put this online, so it gets very widespread. But the software restrictions has always been there, not just for Sony, but for everyone else as well. Even before the Playstation excisted too.
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DUDE. you have been able to do this to xbox 360 nearly since it was released, and really they ban you if they catch you, end of discussion.
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Just phoned my son to tell him not to update the ps3.guess what I’m the owner of a ps3 with 4.30 on it dam!
take it I’m screwed?
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Yep, you’re screwed six ways from Sunday.
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Did any one else see this on bbc world news?
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your talking about this?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20067289
or this?
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/397654/20121024/playstation-hacked-sony-ps3.htm
:p
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so in this case the ps vita will be soon hocked?… nice work out there i’ll look forward for this hack…
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Hi guys:)
Could anyone tell me how we I can use the latest release of the LV0 keys to be able to play PS3 games which I have on my external HDD? ThanksPlease mail me directley to my mailadress (afshin1977@live.no)
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And now, Can I update my system or waiting for some news?
COOOOOOL DUDES, VERY COOL
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Get a life ^^^
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What does this exactly mean for us end users with a ps3 on 4.25OFW?
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It’s intresting how the PS3 has been the reason for everyone be able to run homebrew on the psp, due to ppl being able to sign homebrew. i wonder if it will have the same effect on the ps vita. will the ps3 be a gateway to the vita also?
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PSP was full of homebrew way before the ps3 hacks happened. CFW was easy as pie to install on a PSP. The pandora battery was the final nail in that coffin, once that got released everyone had the option of CFW.
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pandora battery only worked on older psps. And yes i know homebrews where on psp before this, however i think that being able to sign ur own homebrew is a way bigger nail in the coffin then the pandora battery
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Ohhhh a miracle! I am thankfull for the professionel ps3 devs! Not like the crapy psvita devs andthere Ninja releases
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HEYYY, these guys work hard to give us all the opportunity to get the exploited game off psn, days b4 its publicly announced and pulled by $ony in the following 24hrs… just so we all can enjoy all our games and homebrew we have on our hacked PSPs…
Although.. i barely have even a third of the content i did on my hacked PSP, on my newest vita eCFW…..
On second thought, YEA WHAT THIS GUY SAYS, CRAPPY!
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Finaly i stop pay for games on my ps3 and can get us many games i wanna ty god some one liked keys in HAPPY u made my day
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ok so my ps3 is on 4.25 now, does this mean i would be able to hold off updating my ps3 and be able to install a cfw 4.25 on it? (btw i have no e3 flasher or anything of that nature)
please respond, i would like to have some cfw on my ps3, but if its not possible i might as well update my ps3 to enjoy some netfix.
Thanks.
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so when can 3.56+ (4.xx) OFW users expect a CFW without having to downgrade our ps3?
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From what i understand, they need to find an exploit in the new firmware. If this isn’t found, i see no way to use CFW without downgrading first or signing it with the new private keys.
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Exploit? It wouldn’t require an exploit because they have access to the update files, thus they can simply decrypt the latest firmwares, edit them to include the ability to install apps from a usb and bam you’re in.
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But how are they going to be installed on OFW 3.60+? Those firmware version (i’m talking about them being installed on the PS3, not the .pup file) are already protected, you need a way to modify lv0 first.
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could some psvita keys be included or shared with the ps3? could be a possibility.
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Update all you like cos Sony are screwed now.
We decrypt any firmware now because we have the access to edit them to do what we want : O) -
nice article wololo, a little hard to follow for my simple mind but easier than other forum posts. keep it up
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Wololo did not create this article, the writer was Jd8531.
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What I don’t understand: With these keys we can decrypt LV0. Will this not give us the possibility to get all other keys, to sign homebrew and code, that this run on a normal official firmware? Why a lot of people speak about custom firmware in this case? What I hope: That these keys will not kill Sony because a lot of people will use this for playing illegal copies. I hope that these keys will open a big homebrew development like at the psp a few years ago.
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No really you want official firmware to run homebrew and unofficial stuff? Would you not like a custom firmware with no cinavia protection and that would allow you to backup and play games/homebrew and apps from your external harddrive?
Simple choice! No?
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Answer is above in the comments. : O)
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After reading through all of this and a few other websites, I’m realizing very quickly how invaluable this really is for most of us considering most people have newer firmware than 3.55. I have one with 3.73 on it and still can’t do jack with it without opening the console. I don’t think Sony is really in any danger due to this LV0 key being released.
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Yeah ignore that. I was more focused on trying to do a hardware downgrade for some damn reason.
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So, should I not upgrade my ps3 from 4.25 OFW to 4.30, or should I wait for a CFW for 4.25 if I want CFW. I know this was asked by people above me but the answers weren’t really clear and I’m not a programmer so I couldnt understand the article very well.
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Wen ever there a new exploit it always a good idea if u have a real low firmware so if u want to you can but i would keep a 4.25 just untill they reasles anthing unless u need the psn or play games guessing on tye assassin creed now anybody know if u need 4.30 to play it?
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awesome.
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Okay thanks, I’ll just play campaign modes of Cod and skyrim and fallout. I was just confused because there are a few youtube videos with a lot of likes of things like ps3 4.5 CFW, and I wasn’t sure if it was real or not because tey had a ton of likes.
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Ok can someone explain to me what this all means in the simplest of terms?
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yes piracy is a problem, but the 360 has a similar problem with c4evas custom firmware. You can burn the latest games and go online. Yes there was a ban wave in 2009, but since then the newest cfw hasn’t been beaten. 360 still has lots of software sales. Longs story short, there are people like us that cfw our sh!t, but there is a much bigger percentage of console owners that don’t know about this sh!t. I don’t know why ppl hella trip about this all the time. Yes is going to be a majority of us(cfw users) pirating games, but its a much smaller percentage of us then the whole customer base. Developers/publishers lose more from used game sales.
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i was thinking about that. i don’t know any numbers, but the amount of people who pirate games can’t be so significantly high, that they could ruin the games company. if anyone has statistic about that i would be interested.
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Please don’t make vita the next target. Let the major release come out first. Thanx.
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Guys plz just tell me that can I have a 4.21 ps3 CFW now???
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Will this make it possible to run without cfw in the future??? Or is there no way of saying such thing. This is because i woud like to keep playing online without a possible bann.
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I think everyone that’s isn’t on 3.55 or lower is getting way too excited here. It sounds like phat and pre 3000 series slim users may eventually get a solution that doesn’t require a flasher…maybe. That’s a lot of IFs and given the speed things have moved on this scene I wouldn’t expect anything soon. I think this benefits the flasher sellers the most as now many people who have a downgrade able console may invest in a flasher so they can get to 3.55 and then to 4.x CFW. I am lucky to have a Phat on 3.55 TB so I will be going back to 3.55 OFw and then to new CFW as soon as a more stable version comes out. I don’t think this will crush $ony as bad ad people are thinking. If 3000 series is ever hacked I expect they will put out a new slim with some hardware change that prevents this exploit. To be sure this is exciting news but I don’t think it changes the dynamics that much until we so a CFW for all consoles that doesn’t require a downgrader to implement! So chill!
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Pingback from Question's regarding ps3 on October 27, 2012 at 3:26 pm
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Pingback from Just A Question on October 27, 2012 at 3:27 pm
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“The LV0 is not patchable, which is to say there is nothing at all Sony can do to fix this.” That’s exactly the same thing hackers said about the previous hack
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