Gumball 3000 Rally - 2006
Gumball 3000 Rally - 2006 is going to be amazing. Three “missions” will span 3 continents over eight days. On April 30, the rally will begin in London like last year, then jump to east Asia and finally jump again to the United States for a finish on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles on May 7. I’ll be adding a lot more information on the event as time goes on. Either hit play on the preview video below or download it for later viewing.
Xbox 360 Firmware Almost Hacked
TheSpecialist, a Xbox hacker with some street cred, hinted in a message that a Xbox 360 firmware hack is almost complete. After being asked for more information, TheSpecialist responded:
Firmware. I doubt you’ll see some kind of OTHER hack soon, that lets you boot unsigned code for example. MS did a very good job on the 360 itself this time. However, they made a big mistake by forgetting about the firmware. They even didn’t remove the debug routines from the FW, quite amazing … The 360 has a little bit more advanced protection in its FW than the original xbox, but still, they did some stupid things (like forgetting about the debug routines, that were very helpful to us, hehe, and most importantly: not signing the firmware). I’m betting they’ll develop the MPU in the drive from scratch for their next gen consoles and sign the code in the FW
It’s no secret that Microsoft, like any major corporation these days, monitors developments in the hacking/mod scene to engineer countermeasures to prevent circumvention of their devices. After seeing the methods used in hacking the original Xbox, Microsoft wanted to be sure their new console would be immune from more causal attempts at modchip creation. They’ve made sure to retain the possbility to push remote updates via Xbox Live! to be able to detect non-standard components running on the machine. Yet, forgetting to sign the firmware and leaving debugging routines seems like gross oversight on Microsoft’s part. According to the postings, any method Microsoft uses to secure the Xbox 360’s will be easily circumvented again due to lax firmware security.
Should Microsoft be worried? For now the answer is no for two reasons.
- The current hack is being done with a hardware that average consumers don’t have access to. However, according to
TheSpecialistsays it is possible:
Currently there’s no method to do it via software, so you’ll need a hardware programmer. However, it’s possible to do it via software, it only has to be researched
TheSpecialistwon’t be releasing the code any time soon as start in this message:
… I highly doubt that the team will release a hacked ‘ready to go’ firmware … I think a lot of hackers (including me) are reluctant to do this. The threat from MS and its lawyers is real. Even though it might be legal in some countries, if you visit the US they can arrest you there (like they arrested that Russian guy when he visited the US) … Well, maybe a text document with bytes differing from original and hacked FW is possible => it’s not a ‘device’ to circumvent copy protection’ and it will only serve eductional purposes of course. That way only the person that is going to use that information to create such a ‘device’ (software) is the one that is doing something illegal and not the hacker I suppose … But again, I’m not a lawyer and it is a VERY slippery slope we’re on here …
Does this mean that we won’t be seeing something like this out in the wild? With the modchip industry waiting to capitalize on this generation of consoles, there is a financial incentive to do the research into creating both hacked firmware and a solution to do software updates to counter Microsoft’s attempts to lock out modified machines. Although TheSpecialist and his team may not release the actual code, he has confirmed the existence of multiple teams working on this and a hack could be out in the next few weeks.
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t suggest getting too excited about running Linux or custom media center software just yet. Hacking the firmware is the first step in a long process to allow homebrew code running on the Xbox 360. At least the first milestone in achieving that goal has almost been reached.
Update (3.18.2006): It’s done. A video is available showing the Xbox loading a backup disc. As stated before, the firmware won’t be released by this particular team.
Critical Update: Flash Player Update to Address Security Vulnerabilities
Abobe has released an update to Macromedia Flash Player (now owned by Abobe) due to a vulnerability being discovered by Microsoft. The security bulletin provides this summary of the bug:
Critical vulnerabilities have been identified in Flash Player that could allow an attacker who successfully exploits these vulnerabilities to take control of the affected system. A malicious SWF must be loaded in Flash Player by the user for an attacker to exploit these vulnerabilities. Users are recommended to update to the most current version of Flash Player available for their platform.
This applies to Flash Player 8.0.22.0 and earlier on all operating systems (i.e. Windows, Linux, Solaris). The fixed version (8.0.24.0) can be downloaded at Macromedia’s Player Download Center. Breeze, Shockwave and Flex have also been updated (scroll down to “Details” for download links).
Update your systems before someone figures out exactly how to exploit this flaw.
2007 Audi RS4 Cabriolet
Although I’m not a fan of convertibles, the new 2007 Audi RS4 Cabriolet looks stunning. Click the picture to go to the gallery and the press release is after the jump.
Windows XP on Mac Hysteria
Technology related hubs such as Slashdot and Engadget are running a story regarding the potential of success of narf2006’s solution to booting Windows XP on EFI-equipped Intel-based Macs. The problem has centered around the fact that Intel-based Macs have the Compatibility Support Module (CSM) removed from the EFI implementation because Apple’s OS X does not require a legacy layer to boot. narf2006 originally posted a message declaring the goal of WinXP on Mac had been achieved. Almost immediately a thread asked for nine testers: three Mac Pro, three iMac and three Mac mini owners. A forum member even proclaimed the feat had been recreated twice in a message titled “Mission Accomplished - Almost Twice.” Although narf2006 is said to be submitting the directions to Colin directly after cleaning up the instruction for the $12,000 prize pot. As of now, they haven’t been received yet by Colin. The only proof given thus far are a few fuzzy pictures on Flickr in the original thread.
What we do know is Amit Singh, employed at the IBM Almaden Research Center and author of Mac OS X Internals, has found a method to allow operating systems requiring a legacy BIOS and legacy VGA BIOS to boot on Intel-based EFI Macs. The software is called “BAMBIOS.” The process is fairly straight forward. Singh has suggested EFI Macs can be equipped with a custom EFI bootloader to set up an emulated BIOS and video BIOS in DRAM that can then pass control to a legacy bootloader allowing the operating system of choice to boot. The key is using Bochs BIOS core that has been extended and customized for the Intel 945 Express chipset. The VGA BIOS core also comes from Bochs with a few customizations for the ATI X1600 linear framebuffer. Singh has said that Linux distributions lacking support for EFI and an unmodified version of Windows XP have been booting successfully.
Either narf2006’s or Singh’s solution should almost certainly allow XP and 32-bit Windows Vista (no EFI support) to boot on Intel-based Macs very soon. This achievement is important for many reasons but the main one is access to the enormous library of software available for Windows. Developers benefit from having Linux, Windows and OS X a reboot away on the same machine. While gamers will aso be able to finally enjoy the newest titles coming out for Windows without waiting weeks or months for Mac binaries. This scenario has the added benefit of making the switch to Apple products a little less risky for the consumer since Windows can be run on the hardware if necessary.
The real breakthrough most of the computing world is waiting for is a virtualization solution under OS X. VMWare or Parallels would great additions to the library for Macs but these products do not provide the best graphics or I/O performance. The true holy grail is support for Intel’s Virtualization Technology (VT) solution coupled with Xen 3.0. Computer users would get the best of both worlds: no rebooting to change operating systems that are running side-by-side and excellent near-native performance.
Unfortunately, it seems like the first reaction these days to most any contest or story on forums rampant with fanboyism is a type FUD that destroys any desire for people to contribute these sorts of hacks. Without fail people jumped on the “zOMG its photochopped” bandwagon without even being patient enough for Colin’s verdict. The most ridiculous thing is the loudest trolls actually don’t own Apple hardware but that isn’t a reason to stop them from joining in the trollfest. Could narf2006’s solution be a hoax? Sure it can but without more information it would be very premature to declare it as such. Even then, Singh’s BAMBIOS solution should surface very soon. It is for that reason that I scorn this type of nonsense and will wait until we hear more.
Update (3.15.2006): narf2006 has posted a video showing XP installing and then booting on an iMac. Naysayers will insist the video is too blurry to be sure but to my eyes it looks like the real deal. About the only mildly credible doubt that I’m willing accept is narf2006 opened up his iMac and figured out a way to plug in the LCD directly to a PC behind the scenes. However, if anyone has ever opened up a laptop and tried to connect the LCD panel to an external computer will know that it is very difficult (but not impossible) to accomplish. Quite frankly, doing that would make this supposed hoax far too much work. With that said, I still think we need to wait it out for the instructions.
Update (3.15.2006): OSNews also posted about BAMBIOS. Amit Singh, the brains behind this project, chimed in by saying:
“To EFI, our software looks like a regular EFI program which happens to be a bootloader. This bootloader contains a binary payload which is an entire BIOS, VGA BIOS, and other x86-specific glue needed to boot the machine. This binary payload is loaded into memory in the legacy BIOS space. To all software on the machine, it appears as if the machine has a traditional BIOS. An important aspect of BAMBIOS is that its goal is to be non-disruptive.”
Update (3.16.2006): The contest is officially over. narf2006 and blanka will take home the $14k prize pot. The solution is available for download now. According to this Flickr comment, narf2006 may have had to patch the XP Kernel to get VGA working. The BIOS part of the solution did not involve using Bochs but instead took the route of using a barebones CSM module. Could a non-EFI Linux distribution boot? That is unknown but the next few weeks will hopefully provide more answers.
Microsoft KB Article: How to Remove Linux and Install Windows XP
While hunting around today for information on the Windows XP bootloader, I ran across a very interesting Microsoft Knowledge Base article #314458 titled How to Remove Linux and Install Windows XP. The article introduction reads:
This article explains how to remove the Linux operating system from your computer and install Windows XP. This article assumes that Linux is already installed on your computer’s hard disk, that Linux native and Linux swap partitions are in use (which are incompatible with Windows XP), and that there is no free space left on the hard disk.
I scratched my head, at first, wondering why something like this would need to be published. Although many usability advances have taken place in the Linux world over the past few years, most people who install Linux these days can navigate their way around partition tables, master boot records and other “advanced” topics. The answer to this question can be found as a direct response to the influx of cheap computers at Walmart, Fry’s Electronics (Outpost), and other online retailers offering Linux pre-installed. Although the only thing I want to know now is how a consumer feels when they purchase a $200 computer and put another $130 into purchasing a copy of Windows XP?
2006 Rinspeed Indy based on Porsche 997 Carrera S
Rinspeed introduces the new Indy - based on the Porsche 997 Carrera S - at IAA Frankfurt
Maxxuss Site Down Again?
As of Tuesday, March 7, 2006 at 9am ET, maxxuss.com is down. Last time Maxxuss changed domains, the OS X hacking community went into a frenzy because of coincidental timing shortly after Win2osx and OSx86 Project were served DMCA notices. This outage comes on the heals of Maxxuss releasing Patch Solution for Mac OS X 10.4.5 Security Update 2006-001 that allows the latest version of OS X 10.4.5 run on white box x86 computers. It could be nothing more than a bandwidth usage issue, something more severe like a server outage or it could be legal trouble.
The entire series of posts on Maxxuss and the hacked versions of Apple OS X are worth a read for context on the latest incident in a string episodes in this high profile back-and-forth soap opera.
Update (3.7.2006): The Maxxuss patch site is working but the blog is still down as of 12:52pm ET.
Update (3.9.2006): maxxuss.com is working again.
If there are any new developments, don’t hesitate to shoot me an e-mail or dropping a comment below. I’ll post updates as this story develops.
As always, I don’t condone piracy so please don’t do anything illegal.
Boycott HD-DVD and Blu-Ray over AACS, Part 1
I am joining Mike Evangelist, the man behind Apple’s wildly successful Final Cut Pro, in calling for a blogosphere-wide boycott of the new high-definition HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs set to appear in stores soon. As a consumer, the reasons are very simple to understand and, in this first installment, I will begin to briefly establish why a boycott must go full steam ahead.
AACS (Advanced Access Content System) has mandated that the video out from traditional HDTV interconnects (i.e. RGB and component) be degraded in quality to a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels (540p) — exactly one-quarter the 1,920 x 1,080 pixels actually available on the disk. Using protected HDMI interconnects with HDCP protection is the only way to see the picture at full resolution.
What this means, in English, is those of us who were early adopters of HDTV technology are set to have perfectly working high-definition equipment made obsolete due to the lack of protected HDMI inputs. We have a Marantz VP12-S1 DLP projector in our home theater. This several thousand dollar DLP projector is rendered useless for use with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs even though the projector has no technological limitation preventing it from displaying 720p and 1080i images. On the contrary, terrestrial broadcasts, HD cable and satellite pictures look absolutely brilliant. However, the AACS has deemed equipment like the Marantz projector not compliant with their regulations to prevent piracy.
How many others are out there with a similar situation? Estimates vary but everything from as low as 3 million to as high as 6 million such non-HDMI compliant HDTV video display equipment has been sold in the United States. As a consumer this means that buying any HDTV equipment is a risk. There is no telling when (not if) the content industry will decide to change standards again. Are consumers willing to gamble away a few thousand dollars on that new HDTV set only to have to buy another one in less than 24-36 months? As far as I can tell, the answer is no.
Analog Sunset is another term being thrown around by AACS. According to the AACS Interim Adopter Agreement (rev February 15, 2006), Exhibit F, Part 2, Section 1.7 (page 82) with respect to all Decrypted ACCS Content Analog Sunset stipulates:
1.7.1 2010 Sunset. Existing Models (as defined in Section 1.7.2) may be manufactured and sold by Adopter up until December 31, 2011. For any licensed Player (other than Existing Models) manufactured after December 31, 2010, analog outputs for Decrypted AACS Content shall be limited to SD Interlace Modes Only (i.e., Composite, S-Video, 480i component)…
What this means is that a player that is bought in the next few months will output 540p (progressive) over component interconnects for current HDTV owners. Existing players with the ability to interface with current HDTV sets will be manufactured until December 31, 2011. However, any new player designed and sold after December 31, 2010 will not output 540P any longer but will be reduced down to 480i component. Some may say that 2010 sounds far away, but in reality how many consumers tend to throw away electronics equipment in a four year span if it is still working? Personal experience has shown when upgrading a piece of equipment, the older item being replaced is moved into another room for use with another television set. Initially, many may assume the trick is to buy a player now and make sure it doesn’t break in four years so consumers can still enjoy their one-quarter resolution HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs, right? Wrong! Section 1.7.1 continues with:
… Adopter may continue to manufacture and sell an Existing Model in which the implementation of AACS Technology is a Robust Inactive Product after December 31, 2010 provided that when such Robust Inactive Product is activated through a Periodic Update, such Periodic Update results in a Licensed Product that limits analog outputs to SD Interlace Modes Only.
Before translating, Periodic Update and Robust Inactive Product need to be defined.
Periodic Update is defined as: modification of a Licensed Component, Licensed Product or Robust Inactive Product, including, when necessary, provision of or replacement of the Device Key Set, via … download of updated software from a website, so that the implementation as modified is a Licensed Product and, when the Device Key Set has been replaced, only the new Device Key Set can be used to decrypt portions of a Media Key Block in order to calculate a Media Key. (Page 11)
Robust Inactive Product is defined as: portions of a component or product, other than a Managed Copy Service or Evaluation Managed Copy Service, manufactured under license from AACS LA and the Licensors that embody a portion or all of the mandatory portions of one or more Specifications and which meets one of the following sets of conditions:
1. (i) is Connected; (ii) does not contain a Device Key …
2. (i) is a multi-purpose chip that has had its AACS Technology functions permanently disabled prior to shipment to a customer that did not elect to include such functions in its order; (ii) does not contain a Device Key (page 11-12)
The provisions of Section 1.7.1 stipulate that any AACS licensed machine such as a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player providing any analog, hence digitally unprotected, interface to be updated via a download after December 31, 2010 to degrade the signal from one-quarter 540p signal down to 480i. Even today’s DVD players output higher quality 480p signal to capable video displays. The consumer is being asked to willingly pay these companies for a model of planned obsolescence where we will have to come back to purchase another player in the future even if our current player isn’t broken. In other words, consumers are expected to pay for a set of features today that will be eliminated in short order to guarantee a revenue stream. For example, how many people would purchase a car at full sticker price from a manufacturer stipulating an artificial limit on how many miles it could be driven per day without regularly coming in for costly serve at the dealership? Not many. To call this an abomination would be an understatement.
A consumer could always choose to not update the player but the AACS has already figured out that possibility too. After December 31, 2010 any new AACS media will require a new set of keys the periodic update will provide. In other words, all the current movies you’ve bought will work on the player but new movies will not so the consumer must purchase a new player to play new movies. Section 1.7.3 sheds light on why this is important:
1.7.3 2013 Sunset. No Licensed Player that passes Decrypted AACS Content to analog outputs may be manufactured or sold by Adopter after December 31, 2013.
Studios want to be sure that no content (i.e. movies, TV shows, etc.) will be open to the perceived threat of piracy after 2013. Older players will not be able to play newer movies due to Media and Device Key restrictions after the December 31, 2010 cutoff if the consumer chooses not to update the player. If the consumer does update, then their current collection of content will output at a lower resolution than when the player was purchased until they buy newer TV equipment. Although it is not stipulated directly in the AACS document, it is possible that after the 2013 cutoff, any player with analog output may not play any movie at all until a digital output-only player is purchased effectively closing the analog hole. Out of all this, only one thing is certain: AACS-licensed content producers and equipment manufacturers win while consumers lose. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is going to require an enormous investment by consumers to purchase and having this format catch on will be disastrous because consumers will had over control of their media they purchased to an outside entity concerned with extracting a revenue stream at all costs.
Do these draconian content control measures end in the family room or home theater? No they don’t. All current computer video cards and monitors are going to be rendered useless as well. I will expand on this point in the next installment. In the mean, I am asking members of the blogosphere to openly discuss this issue and use the “No to HD AACS” image. At the very least, link back to Mike’s article or my thoughts to be sure consumers are informed of what is coming.
Update (3.5.2006): www.hdboycott.com is a domain that has been registered to consolidate the effort to educate the public about the awful Digital Rights Management (DRM) implemented into AACS-formats like HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. Banners are also on the website that can used to spread the word.
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