KaKaRoTo Creates First PS3 Custom Firmware

Published on 01-04-2011 09:09 PM

298 Comments

The day everyone has been waiting for, is finally upon us. KaKaRoTo, famous for his work on the PL3 payload, has released a tool that converts a standard Sony retail firmware files, into a custom firmware. The custom firmware allows the installation of homebrew files (via package install), without the need for a jailbreak.

Please note, this does not appear to have the necessary patches in place, that are necessary for playing backups. However, that is a very trivial matter, considering the grand spectrum of what KaKaRoTo has achieved. Stay tuned to this post, as it will be updated as more info becomes available.

DOES NOT CURRENTLY ALLOW BACKUPS OR MANAGERS

Custom Firmware PUPs for both 3.55 and 3.41 have been updated, and now use KaKaRoTo's latest script, which fixes several issues users were having. 01-05-11 22:35 EST STD

Download Custom Firmware 3.55 PUP: http://www.mediafire.com/?ja555fhgbe1hkvf

Download Custom Firmware 3.41 PUP: http://www.multiupload.com/8JUHKTOYA4

KaKaRoTo's Git: https://github.com/kakaroto/ps3utils

Download: http://www.multiupload.com/CVYJFWAK91

We can confirm, if you have legitimate v3.55 installed already, that custom firmware WILL still install!

Attachment 595

Here is the update screen when trying to install 3.55CFW while on 3.55 official. Its a bit hard to read but it says:

Update data of the same version as the current system software was found. Do you want to install the same version?

Version 3.55-KaKaRoTo
Location USB Device

via KaKaRoTo's Twitter

First CFW working. Grab http://bit.ly/hszcH3, then "./create_cfw.sh PS3UPDAT.355.PUP CFW.PUP". Permanently adds "install pkg files" menu. 38 minutes ago via web

@josuaarzensek custom firmware is what you want it to be, you run the script on 3.55 OFW and you get 3.55 CFW

Latest script should restore game save data, etc.. also with PS1/PS2 support for BC machines (unlike the jailbreak). IT'S DONE!

Expect new updated CFW soon, using the latest scripts, tweeted about above

Videos of it in action:

This video shows proof you can install 3.55CFW while on 3.55OFW, it also shows the installation of a retail PKG using the custom install package option. Special thanks to to daManptyltd for the video.

Here is what KaKaRoTo had to say about the feat on his blog:

PS3: First ‘Custom Firmware’ now working!

Great news!

Thanks to the tools made by the fail0verflow team (and thanks to sven in particular for his work on the pkg/unpkg tools), the first “Custom Firmware” is now available for the PS3!

I see a lot of questions coming up really fast on my Twitter account, so here are the basic things you need to know :

Because of legal/copyright issues, I will not provide the custom firmware to anyone, however, I’ve made available all the tools necessary to transform an Official firmware update, into a custom one, just grab my ps3utils repository from github, compile, then run :

./create_cfw.sh PS3UPDATE.PUP CFW.PUP
This will take the official firmware, unpack it, modify it, then repack it correctly (requires you to install ps3tools).

This requires Linux of course, but I’m sure others will do it for the masses and illegally release those files somewhere.

The advantage here is that you can do it for any firmware, if you want to keep version 3.41, then give it the 3.41 update, if you are on 3.55 already and can’t downgrade, then run the script on the official 3.55 firmware and it will create a modified 3.55 firmware.

You can put the file in a USB drive under the filename “PS3/UPDATE/PS3UPDAT.PUP” and then go to system update in the XMB, and it will allow you to install the update (even if you’re already on 3.55).

People are asking what are the features of this firmware, it’s simple, all it does is to add those “Install Package Files” options to the Game section of the XMB. It doesn’t do anything else!

This firmware will not allow you to run the currently available homebrew application. Once the homebrew developers re-package their files in a ‘retail’ .pkg format with signed executable, then it will work (this should be coming soon thanks to the work of the fail0verflow team).

Since the kernel is left unmodified, this means that this custom firmware is really meant for future homebrew installation, and it will not allow piracy. I plan on keeping it that way.

This is just the first attempt at custom firmware, and it only contains a minor modification to allow you to install pkg files directly, eventually we’ll get some more options added to it in the future. This is just starting to get interesting!
Enjoy!

KaKaRoTo

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Custom Firmware

298 Comments

Blade86-PSG - 01-04-2011, 09:20 PM
- Reply
Boooomshakalaka
Thank you sooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!

Flores Ismael - 01-04-2011, 09:22 PM
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Thank yooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu s3up:

Darkman-PSG - 01-04-2011, 09:23 PM
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I was very skeptical since the last CFW was in the psp scene by dark alex but this is great news ...

Guess only a matter of time until the ps3 become in the fate of xbox and wii

OR

unless Sony comes out with some mega 4.0 firmware that alters the master keys or something ...

damanptyltd - 01-04-2011, 09:25 PM
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I reckon that in the new firmware there will be totally different security measures. Not ones based around the keys, that's a lost battle. I reckon on boot it does quick check of all obvious places for changes, like lv2.self and other things that shouldnt be there. Apon finding something out of the blue, it will lock or shutdown the console. Just what i would do if i was the head at Sony.

nirving - 01-04-2011, 09:30 PM
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http://tinyurl.com/32mdmxy is a video of it in action.
shows that the packages being installed fail as they are not signed correctly.

Darkman-PSG - 01-04-2011, 09:30 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by damanptyltd

I reckon that in the new firmware there will be totally different security measures. Not ones based around the keys, that's a lost battle. I reckon on boot it does quick check of all obvious places for changes, like lv2.self and other things that shouldnt be there. Apon finding something out of the blue, it will lock or shutdown the console. Just what i would do if i was the head at Sony.

of course! if you ran Sony you will not be happy about this at all! Remember what happened to the psp and custom firmware its nearly dead but can still play the recent backups but that is my point!

Sony will retaliate and I dont mean in a small way neither

videogamerevie81 - 01-04-2011, 09:33 PM
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now someone integrade backups into this especially so it runs 3.55 games so I can finally play my gt5 and Im on it CFW is gonna be great

ihaxgames-PSG - 01-04-2011, 09:34 PM
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It can't run unsigned code, he said he wasn't gonna bother because we have the keys, however at some point we'll either have simple tools to sign things in an easier way, or he, or someone else will add support for unsigned code

Blade86-PSG - 01-04-2011, 09:37 PM
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Anyone got a tutorial for signing pkg's (such as Rogero Mamnager 7.8)

... xD

damanptyltd - 01-04-2011, 09:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Darkman

of course! if you ran Sony you will not be happy about this at all! Remember what happened to the psp and custom firmware its nearly dead but can still play the recent backups but that is my point!

Sony will retaliate and I dont mean in a small way neither

Yea true, but they didnt have the means on the PSP to really stop it at all, so times that by 10. To this day they have home-brew enablers for all of the latest psp firmwares. And they actually had some really good homebrew games on PSP, i still whip mine out sometimes haha. Just depends if we manage to keep up the tug-war.

Originally Posted by videogamerevie81

now someone integrade backups into this especially so it runs 3.55 games so I can finally play my gt5 and Im on it CFW is gonna be great

Well to play backups, we need syscalls. So we need someone to edit the lv2.self i believe to allow syscalls to be called by GameOS. When you read that in a news feed, we cna play backups.

And if you read some of the other news threads, you will know we can play GT5, N4S, etc already.

Originally Posted by Blade86

Anyone got a tutorial for signing pkg's (such as Rogero Mamnager 7.8)

... xD

Won't work, syscalls aren't enabled so can't mount backups.

Flores Ismael - 01-04-2011, 09:39 PM
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what can people do with these files

damanptyltd - 01-04-2011, 09:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Flores Ismael

what can people do with these files

You can only use them if you know ho to compile scripts. With the CFW you can only run signed pkgs, so no point installing it if you want back ups, they wont work. And you cant downgrade from 3.55 right now, so you'll be stuck with it.

nirving - 01-04-2011, 09:41 PM
- Reply
KaKaRoToKS Youness Alaoui
@ghorricks cfw will be made from ofw plus some modifs to add debug options. It will run signed homebrew, no need for unsigned anymore...

Yep looks like you need to have signed code to run. Simple test surely would be to download a pkg from PSN and install from USB.

FreakAlchemist-PSG - 01-04-2011, 09:43 PM
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This truely is an epic win.

nirving - 01-04-2011, 09:44 PM
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Originally Posted by damanptyltd

And you cant downgrade from 3.55 right now, so you'll be stuck with it.

On the bright side you can play all those 3.5x games safe in the knowledge that at some point another update can open up the console. At some point the revocation list will be removed or replaced with 3.41 version so that a Downgrade can occur. Sit tight and it will come.

Blunts-LLA-PSG - 01-04-2011, 09:45 PM
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But can we get psn access :joystick1:s3up:

Blade86-PSG - 01-04-2011, 09:46 PM
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damanptyltd, thanks for your comment. Fast and effective, thats the style I like xD

EmilioBuono - 01-04-2011, 09:48 PM
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shitttt this is pretty cool

i suppose its good in a way that people can get back online and stuff, but without proper ways to sign files orrrr with the missing syscalls, its still step 1 of 10 imo D:

otherwise, this news gave me a semi

Flores Ismael - 01-04-2011, 09:48 PM
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so what do i do right now to install these files on my ps3

nirving - 01-04-2011, 09:48 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by Blunts-LLA

But can we get psn access :joystick1:s3up:

From my understanding this is OFW3.55 but has an xml file replaced with one that shows the installed package option. So I believe you can use PSN with this and not get caught. Since Backup Managers are not runnable on this version, as they require a lot more hacking, this CFW is safe to use as you cannot run anything that Sony can detect.
Edit:
Reading the above it would appear that you can do the same for 3.41, which means that you can still use the JailBreak to get a Backup Manager running.