Post: bootldr exploit unpatchable
10-25-2012, 09:20 PM #1
hasnainxs
Do a barrel roll!
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It appears that the PS3's console's LV0 decryption keys have been released.
What does this mean?
Simply put, any PS3 that is a model OF or LESS than the 2K model (CECH-200xx) is potentially Jailbreak-able.
The (older) PS3 system has been PWNED. For good.

Rogero has already released a CFW for 4.21
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From The Three Musketeers:
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"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. Congratulations to the guy that leaked stuff, you, sir, are a 1337 haxx0r, jk, you're an ahole . . .
". . . 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 ♥Winky Winky.
"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."
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For more advanced users, from fail0verflow:
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From marcansoft:

"The first-stage bootloader is in ROM and has a per-console key which is effectively in tamper-resistant silicon. The second-stage bootloader (bootldr) is encrypted with the per-console key, but is not upgradable and is the same for all consoles (other than the encryption wrapper around it). This second-stage bootloader verifies lv0. Sony signed lv0 using the same broken process that they used for everything else, which leaks their private key. This means that the lv0 private key was doomed from the start, ever since we demonstrated the screwup at the Chaos Communication Congress two years ago.

"However, because lv0 is also encrypted, including its signature block, we need that decryption key (which is part of bootldr) before we can decrypt the signature and apply the algorithm to derive the private key. We did this for several later-stage loaders by using an exploit to dump them, and Geohot did it for metldr (the "second root" in the PS3's bizarre boot process) using a different exploit (we replicated this, although our exploit might be different). At the time, this was enough to break the security of all released firmware to date, since everything that mattered was rooted in metldr (which is bootldr's brother and is also decrypted by the per-console key). However, Sony took a last ditch effort after that hack and wrapped everything after metldr into lv0, effectively using the only security they had left (bootldr and lv0) to attempt to re-secure their platform.

"Bootldr suffers from the same exploit as metldr, so it was also doomed. However, because bootldr is designed to run from a cold boot, it cannot be loaded into a "sandboxed" SPU like metldr can from the comfort of OS-mode code execution (which we had via the USB lv2 exploit), so the exploit is harder to pull off because you don't have control over the rest of the software. For the exploit that we knew about, it would've required hardware assistance to repeatedly reboot the PS3 and some kind of flash emulator to set up the exploit with varying parameters each boot, and it probably would've taken several hours or days of automated attempts to hit the right combination (basically the exploit would work by executing random garbage as code, and hoping that it jumps to somewhere within a segment that we control - the probabilities are high enough that it would work out within a reasonable timeframe). We never bothered to do this after the whole lawsuit episode.

"Presumably, 18 months later, some other group has finally figured this out and either used our exploit and the hardware assistance, or some other equivalent trick/exploit, to dump bootldr. Once the lv0 decryption key is known, the signing private key can be computed (thanks to Sony's epic failure).

"The effect of this is essentially the same that the metldr key release had: all existing and future firmwares can be decrypted, except Sony no longer has the lv0 trick up their sleeve. What this means is that there is no way for Sony to wrap future firmware to hide it from anyone, because old PS3s must be able to use all future firmware (assuming Sony doesn't just decide to brick them all...), and those old PS3s now have no remaining seeds of security that aren't known. This means that all future firmwares and all future games are decryptable, and this time around they really can't do anything about it. By extension, this means that given the usual cat-and-mouse game of analyzing and patching firmware, every current user of vulnerable or hacked firmware should be able to maintain that state through all future updates, as all future firmwares can be decrypted and patched and resigned for old PS3s. From the homebrew side, it means that it should be possible to have hombrew/linux and current games at the same time. From the piracy side, it means that all future games can be pirated. Note that this doesn't mean that these things will be easy (Sony can obfuscate things to annoy people as much as their want), but from the fundamental security standpoint, Sony doesn't have any security leg to stand on now.

"It does not mean that current firmwares are exploitable. Firmware upgrades are still signed, so you need an exploit in your current firmware to downgrade. Also, newer PS3s presumably have fixed this (probably by using newer bootldr/metldrs as trust roots, and proper signing all along).

"The keys are used for two purposes: chain of trust and chain of secrecy. The compromise of the keys fully compromises the secrecy of the PS3 platform permanently, as you can just follow the links down the chain (off-line, on a PC) and decrypt any past, current, or future firmware version. Current consoles must be able to use any future firmware update, and we now have access to 100% of the common key material of current PS3s, so it follows that any future firmware decryptable by current PS3s is also decryptable by anyone on a PC.

"However, the chain of trust can be re-established at any point along the line that can be updated. The chain of trust is safely rooted in hardware that is near impossible to modify (i.e. the CPU's ROM and eFuse key). The next link down the chain has been compromised (bootldr), and this link cannot be updated as it is specific to each console, so the chain of trust now has a permanent weak second link. However, the third link, lv0, can be updated as it is located in flash memory and signed using public key crypto. This allows Sony to secure the entire chain from there onwards. Unless you find a vulnerability in these updated links, you will not be able to attack them directly (applications, e.g. homebrew software, are verified much further down the chain). The only guaranteed way to break the chain is to attack the weak link directly, which means using a flash writer to overwrite lv0. Once you do so, the entire chain collapses (well, you still need to do some work to modify every subsequent link to turn off security, but that is easy). If you have old firmware, you have at least some other weak links that, when compromised, allow you direct access to break the bootldr link (replacing lv0), but if you run up to date firmware you're out of luck unless you can find a weakness or you use hardware.

"Old PS3s are now in the same boat as an old Wii, and in fact we can draw a direct comparison of the boot process. On an old Wii, boot0 (the on-die ROM) securely loads boot1 from flash, which is securely checked against an eFuse hash, and boot1 loads boot2 but insecurely checks its signature. On an old PS3, the Cell boot ROM securely loads bootldr from flash, which is securely decrypted and checked using an eFuse key, and then bootldr loads lv0 but checks its signature against a hardcoded public key whose private counterpart is now known. In both cases, the system can be persistently compromised if you can write to flash, or if you already have code execution in system context (which lets you write to flash). However, in both cases, you need to use some kind of high-level exploit to break into the firmware initially, particularly if you have up-to-date firmware. It just happens that this is trivial on the Wii because there is no game patch system and Nintendo seems to have stopped caring, while this is significantly harder on the PS3 because the system software has more security layers and there is a game patch system.

"The name is presumably wrong - they would be the bootldr keys, as the keyset is considered to "belong" to the entity that uses those keys to check and decrypt the next thing down the chain - just like the metldr keys are the keys metldr uses to decrypt and verify other *ldrs, the bootldr keys are the keys bootldr uses to decrypt and verify lv0.

"Anyway, you're confusing secrecy with trust. These keys let you decrypt any future firmware; as you say, if they were to "fix" that, that would mean new updates would not work on older machines. However, decrypting firmware doesn't imply that you can run homebrew or anything else. It just means you can see the firmware, not actually exploit it if you're running it.

"The only trust that is broken by this keyset (assuming they are the bootldr keys) is the trust in lv0, the first upgradable component in the boot process (and both it and bootldr are definitely software, not hardware, but bootldr is not upgradable/replaceable so this cannot be fixed). This means that you can use them to sign lv0. Period. Nothing more, nothing less. The only things that these keys let you modify is lv0. In order to modify anything else, you have to modify everything between it and lv0 first. This means that these keys are only useful if you have write access to lv0, which means a hardware flasher, or an already exploited console, or a system exploit that lets you do so.

"Oh, one more thing. I'm assuming that these keys actually should be called the bootldr keys (as in the keys that bootldr uses to verify lv0), and that the name "lv0" is just a misnomer (because lv0 is, itself, signed using these keys).

"If this keyset is just what Sony introduced in lv0 after the original hack, and they are used to sign everything *under* lv0 and that is loaded *by* lv0, then this whole thing is not newsworthy and none of what I said applies. It just means that all firmwares *to date* can be decrypted. Sony will replace this keyset and update lv0 and everything will be back at step 1 again. lv0 is updatable, unlike bootldr, and is most definitely not a fixed root of trust (unlike metldr, which was, until the architecture hack/change wrapped everything in lv0). If this is the case, color me unimpressed.

"Nevermind, I just checked. They are indeed the bootldr keys (I was able to decrypt an lv0 with them). Consider this confirmation that the story is not fake."

________________________________________________________________________________

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.


All credit to chris torella +anyone mentioned above XD
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The following 3 users groaned at hasnainxs for this awful post:

#Robert G. III, primetime43, x420XP
10-26-2012, 03:35 AM #2
mack32
Hurah!
Like im gonna read all that ..........

The following 8 users say thank you to mack32 for this useful post:

192.168.1.1, GE90, James_Bond, Sir Zee, VelocityModsHD, x420XP, xkoeckiiej, zshred
10-26-2012, 03:58 AM #3
TrueDemise
Gym leader
I would suggest that for future references, you should only put the important parts not everything.
10-26-2012, 04:11 AM #4
192.168.1.1
Slave of the sky.
This was soooo long I had my girlfriend read it for me instead :luke:....but when I asked her what it said she had absolutely no clue because she knows nothing about hacking so it was terribly out of context for her... |:|
10-26-2012, 06:22 AM #5
Originally posted by hasnainxs View Post

From The Three Musketeers:
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Does this mean CFW for 4.21, 4.25 & 4.30 OFW? Or just updates for people on 3.55?
10-26-2012, 06:45 AM #6
Prince Perciful
In / Out Shake It All About...
Originally posted by cozmo195 View Post
Does this mean CFW for 4.21, 4.25 & 4.30 OFW? Or just updates for people on 3.55?


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ SOMEONE ANSWER IT... :luke::luke::luke::luke::luke:
10-26-2012, 07:30 AM #7
XxUnkn0wnxX
F4LLEN ANG3L
it depends, if you read it correctly these keys can be used to see the firmware but doesn't not mean it can be exploited. now for my opinion most likely yes there will be Custom Firmware for all future updates from 4.30 - (4.25 all ready is jail broken) so 4.30 is soon to come and so on with he future updates.....
10-26-2012, 07:49 AM #8
Ownage yur avatar is too damn funny, lmaoooooo
10-26-2012, 02:08 PM #9
xkoeckiiej
At least I can fight
so maybe 200xx are jailbreakeble or are they 100% sure jailbreakeble
?
10-26-2012, 02:59 PM #10
hasnainxs
Do a barrel roll!
Originally posted by cozmo195 View Post
Does this mean CFW for 4.21, 4.25 & 4.30 OFW? Or just updates for people on 3.55?
at first it will be for 3.55 but if bootldr is leaked its for every firmware

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