Sony PS3 hacked: ""I rigged an FPGA button to send the pulse. Sometimes it kernel panics, "

The Register is reporting that a very smart hacker has been able to open up the Sony PS3. What is interesting here is what appears to be his combination of a hardware, software, old school 'keep pounding on the door till you get in' solution.


"I rigged an FPGA button to send the pulse. Sometimes it kernel panics, sometimes it lv1 panics, but sometimes you get the exploit!! If the module exits, you are now exploited."

With the increase of open source hardware debuggers coming available, the 'old' clip of the young John Conner in the movie Terminator 2 sticking his 'hacked' ATM card into the ATM machine and getting money is here.

RFID passport privacy issues uncovered: A Traceability Attack Against e-Passports

This paper by Tom Chothia and Vitaliy Smirnov at the University of Birmingham shows another example of why open source vetting and more transparency are necessary before massive Internet of Things systems are rolled out.

Their conclusion:
'Our work shows the inherent dangers of using RFID tags in personal items.'