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-- OriginalOwner_ [tinyurl.com] writes:

from the reverse-engineering dept.

Liliputing reports [liliputing.com]

Hacker group fail0verflow recently showed off a PlayStation 4 running Linux [fail0verflow.com][1] at the Console Hacking 2015 conference, marking the first time someone has managed to install a full-blown, desktop operating system on the game console.

Although others have tinkered with the PS4 in the past, including a Brazilian hacker group that used a Raspberry Pi to break into Sony's Orbis operating system [wololo.net], fail0verflow is the first group to successfully install a full version of Linux on the PS4.

Sony's flagship gaming console has had a tumultuous relationship with the DIY community. The third-generation PlayStation came stock with "OtherOS", which was a feature that allowed users to upload Linux to the operating system, which the company eventually removed.

The PS4 has been much less hacker-friendly in the 2 years since the console launched... at least until now. Fail0verflow took advantage of an exploit found by another hacker [thestack.com] earlier this year, which allowed them to get around Sony's content protections.

They fiddled with a WebKit bug discovered by the programmer to trick the browser into freeing the processes from the core of the operating system. This hack essentially turns the PS4 into a fully operational PC.

[...]The group noted that some of the differences between the PS4 operating system and a PC are "crazy" and some are "batshit crazy". Oh, and the Marvell Tech engineers that designed the PS4's southbridge chip were "smoking some really good stuff".

[1] The nugget is an embedded video in an iframe, apparently. Link to the video [youtube.com]

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