Rumor: Home hacked?

by Alan Tsang { Dec 15th 2008 at 7:00PM }

That certainly didn't take long -- if this rumor proves to be true, Sony's social service Home has already been hacked. A hacker going by the name of StreetskaterFU has made the claim that he has breached Sony's servers for Home and successfully downloaded, uploaded and deleted files. The poster also provided instructions on how you can do this yourself, and a member of the PS3hax forum has supposedly done just that -- he was able to change the posters and trailers in the Home theater, though it appears the effect is only local. A video of the hack in action is available after the jump. We haven't witnessed any of this in action ourselves during our experiences in Home, but do tell us in the comments if you've seen otherwise.

[Via Engadget]

Read - HOME vulnerabilities disclosure
Read - How to mod Home with your own posters and movies

Tags: hack, hacks, home

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

perestroika @ Dec 15th 2008 7:02PM

not surprised. i mean, wasn't the source code or whatever leaked a while before? that would make things very easy :)

perestroika @ Dec 15th 2008 7:04PM

well, never mind my comment. haha - wont write again... unless i've gotten some sleep :)

Archon @ Dec 16th 2008 11:05AM

He didn't hack Home. He rerouted his PS3 to his local computer instead of the official Sony servers. He made a 'pirated' Home server with graphics replaced. It's useless and the not hacking at all.

It's exactly like 'Hacking the Wii Shop': http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/1879/wii_hack_to_view_wii_shop/

It's just fooling the PS3 that it is connected to the official Home servers and the Wii thing is fooling the Wii Servers that you are connecting to the Wii Shop using a Wii.

It's like replacing game music mp3s with your own mp3s and claiming you hacked it. Yawn.

defektedtoy @ Dec 16th 2008 12:51PM

Archon......

v. hacked, hack·ing, hacks

v. tr.
To cut or chop with repeated and irregular blows: hacked down the saplings.
To break up the surface of (soil).
Informal To alter (a computer program): hacked her text editor to read HTML.
To gain access to (a computer file or network) illegally or without authorization: hacked the firm's personnel database.

Hacking is a term used to describe the acquisition of information, wether legally or otherwise, using unconventional methods.

It is not nessicarily computer related either.

So before you tell everyone how this guy didn't hack anything, you should learn the definition of such words before you use them.

MakaiOokami @ Dec 17th 2008 9:03AM

Hacker
–noun
1. a person or thing that hacks.
2. Slang. a person who engages in an activity without talent or skill: weekend hackers on the golf course.
3. Computer Slang.
a. a computer enthusiast.
b. a microcomputer user who attempts to gain unauthorized access to proprietary computer systems.

Main Entry: hacker
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: someone proficient at computers, especially a hobbyist
Synonyms: application programmer, computer architect, computer designer, computer jock, key puncher, operator, programmer, systems analyst, systems engineer, systems programmer, systems software specialist, technician

So... basically what we've learned here today is don't listen to Archon... He's either a n00b or a lamer that doesn't know terminology. If you are some what skillful at handling computers you can be a hacker.

A White hat is someone who does it within the legal boundries where as black hats are those who do things illegally, maliciously, or with bad intentions.

So yes he was being a hacker. Even if you're just making changes to a home router or making some setting changes (especially using about config) you're a hacker. Some hackers aren't nearly as knowledgeable as others but it doesn't just mean your breaking the law.

Jerses @ Dec 15th 2008 7:06PM

maybe this give home something to do. Let them hack home i just hate the twilight trailer and the emo song anyway.

Bagels PSN:WolfLogic @ Dec 15th 2008 7:06PM

Hacked? Is that what you call quincying?

Kinsey @ Dec 15th 2008 7:15PM

its kind of pointless tho, from what I understand (the same can be done with games like wow) when you change the posters and videos and such. Its only "the hacker" that sees it and doesn't effect the home servers themselves.

bluesky_v2.01 @ Dec 15th 2008 7:46PM

Well, that's different. The hacker claims that he actually replaced the textures on the server and not just on his HDD which means everyone will be able to see them.
However, your post made me realize that he may have indeed only replaced the textures on his hard drive to make it look like he hacked the servers.

Rodney @ Dec 15th 2008 7:15PM

this hack in my opinion only allows you to do things that were previously promised (i remember reading that you could have friends over to view your photos and watch movies from your hard drive in your home theater)

maybe this is actually a glimpse (hopefully) of the future rather than a hack

flubba @ Dec 15th 2008 7:16PM

Proxy server?
Big deal.

kavorka @ Dec 15th 2008 7:35PM

Who cares? What's the point? Why waste time and resources hacking PSHome? Find some friends and something better to do-- get out of your mom's basement and get some sun.

Popfrogs @ Dec 15th 2008 7:43PM

The point is, StreetskaterFU has been trying to hack the PS3 for years. He sees this (along with an RSX overflow program) as a possible way in.

To date the only sorta-unsigned code the hacking community has been able to run is some tiff/java/bdlive exploit, and even then only java-based software can run. They had an NES emulator or something running this way before.

This is a potential nasty hole that may lead the way to "backups" and "homebrew".

abe @ Dec 15th 2008 7:48PM

where is he at in the vid my theater looks nothing ike that i only got the beta theater

LatinoLA1 @ Dec 15th 2008 8:09PM

That's the european home beta teathre, the american home teathre and japanese home teathre are all different, same look to the room where you watch the movie but the places are different

the GUY @ Dec 15th 2008 7:51PM

OH NOES,
it saiz, home Lol, we are dunz for.

playcrackthesky @ Dec 15th 2008 8:28PM

It seems you are having some issues with you speech. Is everything OK?

david @ Dec 16th 2008 2:04PM

What's that smell? Oh yeah, bull shit.

Chris @ Dec 15th 2008 8:16PM

I seen the list on how to hack into PS3 Home pretty simple really. Sony have left them selves wide open on this one. You can upload anything to the Home Servers and crash the hole thing by running a continious script. If you want the link reply back and ill post it up.

Popfrogs @ Dec 15th 2008 9:23PM

You don't need to post the link, it's in the forums from the 2 links in this story.

Freedom @ Dec 16th 2008 2:04PM

You Hackers have Seriously no life you all cry about Home not releasing but when it does you go hack it and mess with it Seriously grow the fuck up

Rodz @ Dec 15th 2008 9:52PM

So, no more Twilight or Paramore?

odan @ Dec 16th 2008 8:04AM

Considering the video is horrible looking , and the fact that space isn't even part of home.
I doubt its been hacked , most likely someone taking some very early beta video.

Mattchewie @ Dec 15th 2008 10:28PM

I don't really call this a hack. I mean all he is doing is redirecting via his own equipment to only effect his console. I'm not saying the shouldn't look into it but really.....its not like its stealing your internetz.

DarthNemesis @ Dec 15th 2008 11:45PM

The only thing lower than a hacker is a fanboy.I mean hacking serves no purpose at all if you can not profit from it.Hackers are pathetic for wasting their talent doing something illegal instead of having a career in the computer field making good money.

Think Adrian @ Dec 16th 2008 1:18AM

I'm not a hacker, but seem to understand them. It's like being a web designer for corporate web sites, where you are stuck to boring, ten year old company profiles. When you get home from work you you want to draw lightely dressed women and abstract stuff with strange colours. You are exploding with the inspiration you can not use and you want to learn new teckbiques.

Maybe it's more like grafitti artists, since they often paint public spaces, which is illegal.

Hai @ Dec 16th 2008 3:34AM

This is completely bogus news, StreetskaterFU hasn't hacked/cracked anything. The mentioned video is done using a proxy in between PS3 client and the Home server capturing some of the requests made by the PS3 Home client (image and video file http requests) and sending the seen image and video files instead. None of that involves Home servers, and there nothing "hack" about it, just pure http stuff that anyone can do for any web site.

The "secret" Home URLs are easy to find out again with a proxy server and looking which URLs the home client used to request from the server.

Also there has been no evidence what so ever that "any file" can be download, deleted or uploaded. Just finding a promising sounding URL doesn't make the service vulnerable.

This really is one of lamest excuses of a "hack" in a long time. From the looks of it StreetskaterFU is just another wannabe "scriptkiddie" hacker with no clue about anything, just claiming fame for utterly trivial stuff.

The Pirate @ Dec 16th 2008 4:24AM

This is FAKE. If any of you did research on StreetSkaterFU you would know this. Apparently the PS3 was hacked in 2006! OH NOES! Ha ha. He hacked the ps3 in 2006, twice in 2007 and once more in 2008. HES A FAKER!

jpeg91 @ Dec 16th 2008 4:29AM

not a rumor, this stuff is solid.

ali_D @ Dec 16th 2008 5:07AM

i to have not witness this HACKED in action im worry about our money & items if he/she did indeed HACK in2 home they could raise up the price in the stores or delete items.

Heimbachae @ Dec 16th 2008 7:17AM

i didn't think it looked like the theater at all, but maybe where the "CLUB" meets?? I'm not sure because I'm not paying for that service. I'd rather spend my time and money doing things that really matter. i.e. quincying

stargateheaven @ Dec 16th 2008 9:01AM

When PS3 properly gets hacked it will benefit everyone.
Look at the PSP.. all the custom firmware features are added by sony just weeks after.

If ps3 gets hacked. We will finally start getting USEFUL updates that sony are too lazy to do.. like moving the battery icon. i'm like 99% sure that is not hard to move that icon.

Rocks @ Dec 16th 2008 9:08AM

HA HA... yes.. please... move the battery icon!

Kspraydad @ Dec 16th 2008 10:30AM

Yes...hacking the PSP has done wonders for owners that want NEW BIG NAME content on their machine.

Popfrogs @ Dec 16th 2008 1:06PM

Yeah, "homebrew" sure has done alot for PSP game sales.

/sarcasm

Peter @ Dec 16th 2008 11:37AM

Finding a url that your PS3 uses to request a server file be deleted isn't quite the same thing as being able to do so, I can request a file on an FTP server be deleted until the cows come home, it still won't work.

To sum up this "hack", from the guy's blog itself: "At no time I hacked the servers."

Finding a delete request is pretty useless if the server-file is read-only.

To be honest with the way he talks about how awful this server layout is, his comments about Sony, and the fact that the server layout is actually very common (for security and stability, ironically) he does just seem like a Home troll.