Hackers obtain PS3 private cryptography key due to epic programming fail? (update)

The 27th annual Chaos Communication Conference already hacked encrypted GSM calls with a $15 cellphone, but there was a second surprise in store this morn -- the souls who unlocked the Nintendo Wii's homebrew potential (and defended it time and again) claim to have broken into the PlayStation 3 as well. Last we left the black monolith, Sony had won a round, forcing the community to downgrade their firmware for any hope at hacking into the console. Well, the newly formed fail0verflow hacking squad says that won't be a problem any longer, because they've found a way to get the PS3 to reveal its own private cryptography key -- the magic password that could let the community sign its very own code.

So far, the team hasn't provided any proof that the deed's been done, but they have provided quite an extensive explanation of how they managed the feat: apparently, Sony didn't bother generating any random numbers to secure the blasted thing. (We don't really know how it works, but we have it on good authority that dead cryptography professors are rapidly spinning in their graves.) The group intends to generate a proof-of-concept video tomorrow, and release the tools sometime next month, which they claim should eventually enable the installation of Linux on every PS3 ever sold. Catch the whole presentation after the break in video form, or skip to 33:00 for the good stuff.

Update: The proof-of-concept vid is a bit underwhelming -- fail0verflow had to SSH into a PS3 over ethernet -- but it's here nonetheless. See it after the break, and find the team's full set of presentation slides at our more coverage link. [Thanks, Paolo S.]

Continue reading Hackers obtain PS3 private cryptography key due to epic programming fail? (update)

Hackers obtain PS3 private cryptography key due to epic programming fail? (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourcePSX-Scene, @fail0verflow (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/oGKluXQ7UpU/

ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL Amanda Peet America Ferrera Amerie MICROSOFT

News flash: everything on the Internet is hackable

This weekend, Gawker Media had its primary database compromised. In this monstrous breach, not only did 1.5 million users have their privacy breached and email address stolen, but they also had their passwords cracked. In a day and age where the currency of our email address and password -- and thus our identity -- is only superseded by our bank details, it's fair to label the Gawker breach as abominable.

Like all major disasters, though, this hack serves a higher purpose: it's now blatantly clear that you should not trust a website with sensitive details about yourself. There have been other hacks, of course; higher profile hacks (like the TJ Maxx debacle), with millions of credit card and social security numbers vanishing into the ether, causing billions of dollars of damage.

But they pale in comparison to the Gawker hack for one reason: it directly affected a huge swathe of the noisy, foot-stomping and petulant tech blogging minority.

Continue reading News flash: everything on the Internet is hackable

News flash: everything on the Internet is hackable originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/14/news-flash-everything-on-the-internet-is-hackable/

FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS Ashley Scott Ananda Lewis ALLTEL SAIC

WakeMate Warns Users Of Major Safety Issue With Product After One Bursts Into Flames

It was only days ago that we wrote that after nearly a year of delays, the first WakeMate units were finally shipping to customers. And now there's some more bad news ? really bad. Some of the initial units are apparently bursting into flames because of any issue with the USB charger included. Repeat: Do not use the USB charger included with the shipping WakeMate units. The company has just sent out the following notice to customers:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/aS9WxUadm6w/

ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS Amanda Righetti Arielle Kebbel Ashley Tisdale Brittany Murphy

Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Win Grammy Album Of The Year

Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery with MTV News staff


Alison Krauss and Robert Plant accept the award for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the Grammy Album of the Year award with Alison Krauss on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."

He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because Raising Sand, which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.

You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.

Really, she's the key to Sand's success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music — so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, Sand was released.

And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.

And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on Sand. His arrangements are sparse — giving the two voices ample room to breathe — yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.

To date, Sand has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year — "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.

One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.

"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really good record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards."

Related Videos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604582/20090209/plant_robert.jhtml

Audrina Patridge Bijou Phillips Alice Dodd Aki Ross Brittany Daniel

Welcome To The Hostel Microsoft. Such A Lovely Place.

It was almost exactly a year ago that we wrote about the Googlle Institute of Software Studies, a cleverly-named online university based out of India. After our post on the institution offering students such degrees as a "GCPA" ? Googlle Certified Professional in Advanced Computing ? it didn't take long for the website of the school to be shut down. But the person who originally tipped us off to those shenanigans is now back with another fun one. And apparently, it's based out of the same city in India. Say hello to the "Hostel Microsoft".

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/SOCDfK8UHW0/

Chloƫ Sevigny MOBILE TELESYSTEMS Amanda Bynes HIGH TECH COMPUTER Carla Campbell

Robbery with a Giant Stick Is Way Funnier Than It Should Be [Video]

If you were a convenience store clerk faced with a robber wielding a comically large stick as a weapon, you probably wouldn't think it was too comical. But after the fact, the security camera footage is pretty ridiculous. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kII1AhyzSXo/robbery-with-a-giant-stick-is-way-funnier-than-it-should-be

EMC APPLE COMPUTER April Scott Charli Baltimore COMPAL ELECTRONICS

TiPb Store: We have iPod Nano watch straps, baby! [Sponsored]

The TiPb Store has the coolest iPod nano watch straps, including the Griffin Wristlet for iPod nano, the Giffin Aerosport for iPod nano, and the Griffin Slap for iPod nano. So if you just got a hot new iPod nano for Christmas and want to wear it as a super sweet watch, take a look [...]

TiPb Store: We have iPod Nano watch straps, baby! [Sponsored] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/XXYp-_NdTSQ/

Cameron Richardson DIEBOLD Aubrey ODay DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM

Daily Crunch: Robot Takeover Edition

Would Buying Leon?s Resident Evil 4 Jacket Make You A Cosplayer? Gresso Launching iPad For The Stupidly Rich See How Japan Crash Tests Their Robots Quirky Digits Makes Any Gloves Touchscreen-Friendly Poll: Only 21 Percent Of ?Likely US Voters? Support Net Neutrality

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/12/29/daily-crunch-robot-takeover/

CDW AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING COGNIZANT TECH SOLUTIONS Carol Grow CISCO SYSTEMS