PlayStation 3: Per-Console Boot Key Glitched Out of Cell SPU ROM – Path to Universal CFW?

A group of PlayStation 3 researchers has managed to extract a per-console decryption key from the console's earliest boot stage. This key, specific to each individual console, could potentially pave the way for true custom firmware (CFW) on all PS3 models, including the later Slim and Super Slim variants that have so far resisted it.

The research targets lv0ldr and metldr, the initial stages in the PS3's security chain. After Sony patched a critical security flaw in later hardware, this chain was considered practically unbreakable. To access the code beneath it, the team undertook a costly process where a specialist decapped and imaged the Cell processor. The first attempt only yielded microcode from the processor's PPE portion. However, a second analysis of the SPU regions revealed the target: a 1 KB boot ROM that handles all AES decryption for both bootloaders. The key is fed in via SPU channel 66 and then locked away.

According to zecoxao, the practical applications are still largely theoretical. They include the ability to sign custom first-stage loaders, full CFW on all models (in combination with kafuu's QuasiCFW), unbricking consoles, bypassing faulty Blu-ray drives or Wi-Fi modules, and re-pairing replacement syscon and Blu-ray boards.

The full write-up, with die shots and credits to the many contributors, is at zecoxao.github.io/writeup.