Parse-DREG - PSP Registry Parser 2 Released - Font Hack on the way?
Posted Mar 14, 2006 at 08:32PM by Andy L. Listed in: Homebrew Development, News
Freeplay and Skylark have both been working on a program that reads the PSP's system registry and produces an XML document. Since Skylark, a member of toc2rta, has figured out the checksums, this has opened the doorway for the homebrew community. By being able to write valid checksums, a lot more can be accomplished.
The registry is placed on Flash1, meaning it can easily be accessed on firmwares 1.50 to 2.60, and because of this hackers are looking for some type of buffer overflow in the font parsing code. Already, TeamOverload has managed to use this registry hack to change his nickname, swap buttons, and can even run fonts off of his memory stick by editing the SYSTEM.DREG and SYSTEM.IREG files.
Most hackers are focusing on the font exploit now. The PSP registry contains a path to the font folder stored in the firmware, and TeamOverload managed to change this path without having the PSP crash. Although some of the system options couldn't be accessed, Skylark came up with a program that could write valid checksums. By inserting data through a hex editor, Freeplay was able to run modified registries on a simulated 2.00 (using the MPH Firmware Loader), and his results can be found here.
The latest version of the PSP Registry Parser (v2) can verify data stored in the registry, and it can also force the registry to see the information as valid even if it is not. A lot of progress has already been made; before many people doubted that the PSP's registry could ever be changed. These recent discoveries will certainly have a large impact on the homebrew development, and for now feel free to go ahead and check out your registry.
This is merely a tool, not an explotit, and it might not even lead to a major breakthrough. This program simply helps people hack the registry, and it's probably not a good idea to mess around with the checksums unless you know what you're doing. Be careful if you decide to go ahead and edit your registry though because you might run the risk of bricking your PSP!