Live in Your World, HAX in Ours!
Hello World! I've been reporting on Sony PlayStation hacking news since 2000 and started PSXHAX in 2014 to cover PlayStation (PSX), PlayStation 2 (PS2), PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation Portable (PSP), PlayStation Vita (PS Vita), PlayStation TV (PS TV) and next-gen PlayStation 5 (PS5) platforms along with anything else of interest.
Click on my UserName author link above and you'll be able to view a curated list of all the articles I've contributed thus far to PSXHAX.COM!
Click on my UserName author link above and you'll be able to view a curated list of all the articles I've contributed thus far to PSXHAX.COM!
PS4 System Software / Firmware 5.03 Update Live, More Stability
Back in October Sony released PS4 Firmware 5.01, and today they gave PlayStation 4 owners an early gift with PS4 System Software 5.03 going live this morning. 
I wonder if we can return it for a refund?
Download: PS4 Firmware 5.03 Update (US) / PS4 Firmware 5.03 Update (EU) / PS4 Firmware 5.03 Update (UK) / PS4 Firmware 5.03 Update (AU/NZ) / PS4 Firmware 5.03 Update (JP)
To quote from Sony's Official Page on the 5.03 OFW changes:
About PlayStation 4 system software version 5.03
Main features in version 5.03 update
[TUTO] PS4 - BYPASS 5.03
We'll update this article should PS4 scene developers find anything 'interesting' in PS4 Firmware 5.03 that was patched, etc and THANKS to @hyndrid and @SSShowmik in the PSXHAX Shoutbox for the heads-up!
I wonder if we can return it for a refund? Download: PS4 Firmware 5.03 Update (US) / PS4 Firmware 5.03 Update (EU) / PS4 Firmware 5.03 Update (UK) / PS4 Firmware 5.03 Update (AU/NZ) / PS4 Firmware 5.03 Update (JP)
To quote from Sony's Official Page on the 5.03 OFW changes:
About PlayStation 4 system software version 5.03
Main features in version 5.03 update
- This system software update improves system performance.
[TUTO] PS4 - BYPASS 5.03
We'll update this article should PS4 scene developers find anything 'interesting' in PS4 Firmware 5.03 that was patched, etc and THANKS to @hyndrid and @SSShowmik in the PSXHAX Shoutbox for the heads-up!
PS4 NID to Function Name Resolver for Bin / Lib by Zer0xFF
Following the initial PS4 NIDs, additional PlayStation 4 NIDs, his recent PS4 PUP Unpacker Rewrite and the PS4LibDoc updates today PlayStation 4 developer Zer0xFF released PS4 NID to Function Name Resolver source code for use in IDA Pro 7.0 resolving Bin / Lib Function Names by developers. 
Download: PS4 NID Resolver IDA Plugin (compiled to work with IDA 7.0) / ps4_nid_resolver_ida-master.zip / GIT
From the related Tweets below, to quote: "2 weeks ago I posted this picture, today I'm posting up the source, this will be helpful for anyone working with PS4 and RE sprx, currently it's missing game bin/sprx support but that will be added in due time"
And to quote from the README.md file: PS4 NID to Function Name Resolver
Resolves PS4 Bin/Lib Function Names
Requirement
How-To-Build
Note: on windows you'd need to change --idaq C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Hex-Rays\IDA Pro\
How-To-Use
At this moment, the plugin will only attempt to resolve libraries...
Download: PS4 NID Resolver IDA Plugin (compiled to work with IDA 7.0) / ps4_nid_resolver_ida-master.zip / GIT
From the related Tweets below, to quote: "2 weeks ago I posted this picture, today I'm posting up the source, this will be helpful for anyone working with PS4 and RE sprx, currently it's missing game bin/sprx support but that will be added in due time"
And to quote from the README.md file: PS4 NID to Function Name Resolver
Resolves PS4 Bin/Lib Function Names
Requirement
How-To-Build
Code:
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/Thunder07/ps4_nid_resolver_ida.git
cd ps4_nid_resolver_ida
./extern/ida-cmake/build.py -t 7.0 -i ~/idasdk70/ --idaq ~/.idapro/How-To-Use
- Ctrl+Alt+F10: Basic Settings Panel
- Ctrl+F10: Resolve Function Names (Note: this action is none reversible, make sure you've a copy of your ida database before applying this)
At this moment, the plugin will only attempt to resolve libraries...
Leading Korean Rapper Hired by Sony to Sing 'Only On' PlayStation
Move over GeoHot, Sony just hired one of Korea's top rappers Lee Joon-Kyung (aka Dok2) to sing their 'Only On' PlayStation song in a new video performance below. 
To quote from DualShockers.com on this rather unusual decision by Sony:
"The music video, that you can see below, has pretty much all you can expect, including clips from PS4 games, thick shades and hoodies worn indoors, tattooed knuckles, giant PlayStation-branded bling, and Dok2’s beloved supercars.
If you care for Korean rap, you can find about two minutes of enjoyment in the video below."
After viewing it, I don't think George Hotz has anything to worry about yet... for those new to the scene who never saw his performance check it out below from his PS3 jailbreak days back in 2011:
To quote from DualShockers.com on this rather unusual decision by Sony:
"The music video, that you can see below, has pretty much all you can expect, including clips from PS4 games, thick shades and hoodies worn indoors, tattooed knuckles, giant PlayStation-branded bling, and Dok2’s beloved supercars.
If you care for Korean rap, you can find about two minutes of enjoyment in the video below."
After viewing it, I don't think George Hotz has anything to worry about yet... for those new to the scene who never saw his performance check it out below from his PS3 jailbreak days back in 2011:
PlayStation Store Holiday PSN Sale Features 5 Weeks of Savings
Tis the season of discounts on games including Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition, Batman Arkham Knight, Gang Beasts, Street Fighter V and more all part of the PlayStation Store Holiday PSN sale starting now featuring 5 weeks of savings!
Here's a summary of the full lineup courtesy of Sony Digital Games Business Manager Brian Fujimoto, as follows:
Games
Here's a summary of the full lineup courtesy of Sony Digital Games Business Manager Brian Fujimoto, as follows:
Games
| Platform | Title | Sale Price | PS Plus Price | Original Price |
| PS4 | 100FT ROBOT GOLF | $7.99 | $5.99 | $19.99 |
| PS4 | 2064: READ ONLY MEMORIES | $11.99 | — | $19.99 |
| PS4 | ABZU | $9.99 | $7.99 | $19.99 |
| PS4 | ACTION HENK | $4.49 | $2.99 | $14.99 |
| PS4 | ADAM’S VENTURE: ORIGINS | $11.99 | $7.49 | $29.99 |
| PS4 | AEGIS OF EARTH: PROTONOVUS ASSAULT | $15.99 | $11.99 | $39.99 |
| PS4 | AGATHA CHRISTIE – THE ABC MURDERS | $8.99 | $5.99 | $29.99 |
| PS4 | ALBEDO: EYES FROM OUTER SPACE | $2.99 | $1.49 | $14.99 |
| PS4 | ALIEN: ISOLATION | $11.99 | $8.99 | $29.99 |
| PS4 | ALIEN: ISOLATION – THE COLLECTION | $15.99 | $11.99 | $39.99 |
| PS4 | ANCIENT AMULETOR (VR) | $13.99 | $9.99 | $19.99 |
| PS4 | ARCHANGEL (VR) | $20.09 | $17.09 | $29.99 |
| PS4 | ARMELLO – DELUXE BUNDLE | $19.99 | ...
PS4 Act.dat and PlayStation 4 RIF File Research Findings by IDC
Yesterday we saw his 1.76 PS4 Entrypoint, and today PlayStation 4 developer IDC returns with some PS4 Act.dat and PS4 RIF research documentation stating he will likely add the required code used to restore an act.dat backup to his Github soon as well. 
This news comes following the RIF Samples and PS4 IDX Generator / GenIDX Tool as PlayStation 4 developer @CrazyVoid hinted that both RIF and IDX files are going to be an important part to PS4 game backups and homebrew in the future.
To quote from the Dev Wiki: Act.dat
File Handling
On 1.76, act.dat is loaded and updated by the SceShellCore process.
Beyond 1.76, act.dat is loaded and updated directly by the kernel.
File Verification
A HMACSHA256 of the entire act.dat file using the SHA256 of the OpenPsId as the key is stored in Vtrm using SceShellCore's process ID in slot 0.
SceShellCore's process ID is 0x3800000000000010.
hmacsha256(sha256(sceKernelGetOpenPsIdForSystem()), act.dat) (pseudo-code)
This prevents easily adding or replacing the act.dat file directly. You will need to update this HMAC to prevent the act.dat file from being deleted when adding or replacing it.
File
An act.dat file is made up of 1 to 21 sequential activation structures.
The file is truncated to valid activation structures, so its size will be a multiple of 512.
Activation
Fields are big-endian.
This news comes following the RIF Samples and PS4 IDX Generator / GenIDX Tool as PlayStation 4 developer @CrazyVoid hinted that both RIF and IDX files are going to be an important part to PS4 game backups and homebrew in the future.
To quote from the Dev Wiki: Act.dat
File Handling
On 1.76, act.dat is loaded and updated by the SceShellCore process.
Beyond 1.76, act.dat is loaded and updated directly by the kernel.
File Verification
A HMACSHA256 of the entire act.dat file using the SHA256 of the OpenPsId as the key is stored in Vtrm using SceShellCore's process ID in slot 0.
SceShellCore's process ID is 0x3800000000000010.
hmacsha256(sha256(sceKernelGetOpenPsIdForSystem()), act.dat) (pseudo-code)
- sceSblVtrmStoreNth(0x3800000000000010, hmac, 64, 0)
- sceSblVtrmRetrieveNth(0x3800000000000010, hmac, 64, 0)
- sceSblVtrmFreeNth(0x3800000000000010, 0)
This prevents easily adding or replacing the act.dat file directly. You will need to update this HMAC to prevent the act.dat file from being deleted when adding or replacing it.
File
An act.dat file is made up of 1 to 21 sequential activation structures.
The file is truncated to valid activation structures, so its size will be a multiple of 512.
Activation
Fields are big-endian.
| Name | Offset | Size | Example | Remark |
| Signature | 0x000 | 4 | 41 43 54 00 ('ACT\0') | - |
| Version | 0x004 | 2 | 00 01 | 1 (current) |
| Type | 0x006 | 2 | 00 02 | ...