PS4 Wee Tools updated to 0.9.4

Developer Andy_MaN has been regularly updating PS4 Wee Tools (Syscon/NOR manipulation tool) since its initial release. The tool keeps getting better and better. Version 0.9.4 brings a partition analyzer/recovery mechanism and bug fixes.

What is PS4 Wee Tools

Syscon hacking has become a hot topic on the PS4 as it allows some PS4 Firmware revert/Rollback, which is as close as we’re getting to a downgrade of the console nowadays. Following Abkarino and Egycnq‘s release of Syscon tools earlier in 2023, developer Andy_MaN has been working on PS4 Wee Tools, a tool that lets you manipulate the PS4 NOR and Syscon.

From the official readme:

PS4 wee tools is free open source app, that helps to work with PS4 sflash(NOR) / syscon dumps.

Written in Python to keep it simple.

Was tested with Python 3.8

PS4 Wee Tools Features

NOR tool

• PS4 Nor dump info
  • MD5, SKU, Region, SN / Mobo SN, Southbridge, Board ID
  • Torus (WiFi), MAC, HDD, FW (current, minimal), FW2 ver probability
• Flags toggle:
  • boot mode, safe boot, update mode, arcade mode, kiosk mode (idu)
  • registry recovery, manu, button swap, memory budget, slow hdd mode
• System flags cleaning
• Memory clock editing (GDDR5)
• SAMU boot flag edit
• Downgrade by slot switch (FW revert)
• Legitimate CoreOS Patch
• Additional tools
  • Extract NOR’s partitions
  • Build dump from extracted files
  • View / Recover HDD EAP keys
  • Get HDD EAP keys [keys.bin]
  • EMC CFW for Aeolia
  • Base validation and entropy stats
  • Recovery corrupted partition

Syscon tool

• Syscon check
• Patchable status check
• SNVS blocks viewer (records and flatdata)
• Manual SNVS patch
• Auto SNVS patch (3 modes)
• SNVS rebuilding
• Boot mode selection

Common

• File browser
• Batch file rename (extract dump info to filename)
• Terminal (UART) with highlighting
• SPIway flasher
• Syscon r/w tool by Abkarino
• Syscon reader by DarkNESmonk
• Multy files compare
• Pack / Unpack 2BLS files

The tool itself isn’t useful without proper hardware (and matching skills) to access and patch the syscon. A Teensy 2.0++ will be your friend here, along with other required components

What’s new in PS4 Wee Tools 0.9.4

Here’s what’s new since 0.7.5 (the last version I talked about):

v0.9.4

• Partition analyze and recovery
• Flags: active slot
• Code optimization

v0.9.3

• SCFlasher: Safe syscon erase
• NOR: quick legitimate patch (drag&drop 2 dumps on run.bat)
• SC: “full” clean
• SC: autopatch now works with any* syscon
• SC: Method B bugfix
• SC: manual patch now works with flatdata
• SC: shows line counter
• utils bugfix

v0.9.0

• Syscon Flasher
• Legitimate CoreOS Patch
• Terminal: title shows rx/tx bytes, show hidden bytes (switch), log to file
• Syscon tool: Added FW md5 check, patchable status bugfix
• Batch rename (extract dump info to filename)
• Code optimization
• Some bugfixes

v0.8.9

• SPIway bug fix
• Mobo detecting update
• Quick slot switch (jump to spiway)

v0.8.8

• SPIway flasher
• Flags toggler update (uart second offset)
• Minor bug fixes

v0.8.7

• New md5 hashes (11.00)
• Board_id info

v0.8.6

• EMC cmd mode

v0.8.5

• UART terminal with syntax highlighting
• Integrated syscon reader (Arduino Nano V3)
• Preps for integrated flasher (SPIway & syscon)
• Accurate syscon patch and check
• Syscon boot mode selection
• Syscon flatdata viewer
• FW 10.70 md5
• bug fixes

v0.8

• SNVS rebuilding (Syscon)
• Manual syscon patch allows to remove entire block
• Tips for syscon patching
• Extra syscon patch (stuck on FW update)
• NVStorage class improvements

v0.7.9

• EAP key recovery
• Some optimization

v0.7.8

• Added 6 patterns to slot switcher
• EMC CFW patcher for Aeolia
• UI bugs fixed

v0.7.7

• SLB2 pack / unpack
• File selection screen upgrade
• Preparations for EMC cfw (Aeolia)

v0.7.6

• FW2 version assumption
• Validation screen update

Download PS4 Wee Tools

You can download PS4 Wee Tools from the project’s github here. Note that there isn’t an actual “release” for version 0.9.4 yet (at the time of writing latest is 0.9.0) but you can simply download the source and use it “as is” with Python.

Important disclaimer here: as always, if you don’t really understand what this tool does, it means you’re not the target audience for it 😉

Requirements:

• Teensy++ 2.0.
• (100 to 200)~ ohm resistor.
• wires.
• LQFP 64 – 100 Socket Adapter (Optional)
• Soldering skills

(Alternatively, BwE have commercial solutions, which include the hardware.)

Source: Andy_MaN