[PS3] 3.6+ “backups” possible on DEX hack: the cat is out of the bag

via http://wololo.net/2012/07/19/ps3-3-6...ut-of-the-bag/

Well, that was fast. Less than a week after I was claiming the new CEX to DEX PS3 hack was not (yet) leading to piracy of new PS3 titles, techniques are already available to play “backups” of new PS3 games on your newly “converted” Debug console.



Here’s a quick summary: last week a hack was revealed that explained how to convert your PS3 into a Debug unit, and install a Debug firmware. This is interesting because a debug firmware can run both homebrews AND recent blu rays, which a 3.55 CFW can not achieve.

After I claimed this would not lead to piracy because Debug firmwares can only run legit blu rays, several people (including naehrwert) contacted me to let me know the security on that side wasn’t that great, and that methods to play “backups” (or pirated games) would become public faster than I can type.



This was true. Several scene websites have already published tutorials on how to play 3.6+ backups on the PS3. I won’t describe the process for now because 1) I’m lazy 2) I can’t test it myself yet 3) you can find it on all other scene websites 4) the technique is not user friendly yet and 5) it requires some Sony copyrighted software that is easy to find but illegal to distribute.

On the user friendly part, remember that the first step is to convert your console into a debug unit, which means having a 3.55 CFW installed (if you don’t, you have the extra step of downgrading your console with a hardware flasher), run a bunch of tools, and flash some stuff on your console (major risk of brick). The second step involves formatting your console’s hard drive with some tool which is illegal to distribute in order to create a “fake” Blu ray partition, and then finally to “repack” the PS3 game packages (ripped from the original blu-ray, of course…) into their DEX version.

Most of the process is done with tools that are part of a leaked SDK from Sony, which as I mentioned, is illegal to redistribute. No doubt however that “DEX ready” torrents will start to appear soon on the dark side of the intertubes, leaving users with the relatively difficult steps of converting their consoles from CEX to DEX, and of getting a hard drive formatted to handle backups.

I am convinced that some more user friendly tools will show up in the days to come… the question being, is it worth the hassle just for piracy? Well, at least, this probably means the end of those stupid DRM dongles.

What do you guys think? How far do you think people are ready to go to play “backups”? Are the piracy dongles still relevant when the techniques to pirate games are that complex?