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Sony Marketing Man Tweets PS3 Master Key

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the social-hacking dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Sony Marketing Man, Kevin Butler's official Twitter feed retweets a post by @exiva that posts the PS3 Master key. Kevin Butler who has over 69,000 followers tweet read (The tweet now deleted): '@TheKevinButler Lemme guess... you sank my Battleship? RT @exiva: 46 DC EA D3 17 FE 45 D8 09 23 EB 97 E4 95 64 10 D4 CD B2 C2 Come at me, @TheKevinButler'" Here is a screenshot of the tweet.

49 of 351 comments (clear)

  1. I think by redemtionboy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sony is just farking with us now. That or all future games are going to have online-connection necessary DRM. Xbox 360 and Wii were cracked ages ago, yet only Sony is behaving like a 2-year old about it.

    1. Re:I think by Zelgadiss · · Score: 2

      Then just do.

      I keep see people like you posting in Sony related news threads.

      What does it matter to you if you are boycotting them already?

    2. Re:I think by SighKoPath · · Score: 3, Informative

      Raising awareness of a boycott and getting more people in on it makes it a much more effective boycott.

    3. Re:I think by Zelgadiss · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Can't be helped.

      If console makers give up on securing their consoles with these fairly non-intrusive DRM and leave their consoles wide open like the PC, it's only common sense to expect PC like DRM from games.

      Even if Sony, Big-N and MS does nothing to enforce copy protection, the game publishers will add their own.

      IMO it's kind of a pick your poison situation.
      Have the console maker do it via locking down their console or have the game publishers make a crazy mess of it.

    4. Re:I think by redemtionboy · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Microsoft has handled the situation appropriately, by putting in fixes and banning consoles and user accounts that break the EULA by hacking the system. Such behavior doesn't end piracy (something that is impossible to do, See: The Fallacy of Perfect Security), it only makes it less convenient, but it doesn't get in the way of honest individuals who purchase content fairly. I fully support Microsoft's behavior as it is a much more reasonable response that keeps both gamers and studios as happy as possible. It may not be as ideal to me as a consumer who wants to do what I want with the console and run homebrew and custom hacks on it, but it never gets in the way of me using the console as Microsoft presented it when I purchased it.

    5. Re:I think by Zelgadiss · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't keep up on 360 hacks but to my knowledge MS didn't have their signing key compromised though.

      The only hacks I know of are messing with the DVD drive to play pirated games. Has anyone really gotten homebrew to run on that thing?

      by putting in fixes and banning consoles and user accounts that break the EULA by hacking the system

      I believe Sony would have fix it if they could - they did it with the PSP and the various hacks (etc the first PSP hack that exploited a bug in the TIFF viewer lib).
      With the signing key in the wild, custom firmware that can evade detection won't be hard. Banning will be of limited effectiveness.

    6. Re:I think by arth1 · · Score: 2

      One thing is denying access to services if the user doesn't follow the EULA.
      Another thing entirely is to modify the user's system if he doesn't follow the EULA.

      Technically and logically, that's no different from end-users modifying and disabling the manufacturers servers if they find the manufacturer in violation of an agreement.

    7. Re:I think by Nursie · · Score: 3, Informative

      Meh, vaio are good, but not the only decent laptop.

      The tvs are expensive compared to the likes of Samsung

      There's honestly not much to pick between Xbox and PS3 IMHO.

      DS and derivatives have WAAAAY more market than PSP...

      In the current market, you can easily get away from Sony products without much compromise.

    8. Re:I think by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 2

      Except for the fact that boycotts against major corporations are rarely effective at all. Sony stocks are up about $10 from where they were at a low last July. And over the last 10 years (people have been talking boycott of Sony for years now) the price of the stock has hit a high of $80(2001) and a low of $17(2009) and is currently at about $35 a share.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    9. Re:I think by Lumpy · · Score: 2

      Best pro Video? yes sony.

      Best consumer? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

      Panasonic or LG Plasmas and LCD's blow the doors off of sony in fact LG utterly owns by continuing to have rs232 control for those of us that have real home theater setups (crestron,AMX,Control4), Sony BLuRay players are bottom of the barrel. Sony Vao pc's and laptops are craptastic compared to panasonic, toshiba, lenovo, and even dell.. they are better than HP, but even ASUS is better than HP.

      There is NOTHING Sony has that is "better" even in headphones sony is utter crap compared to senheiser and other brands that are known for levels of quality that sony wished they could achieve.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    10. Re:I think by Zelgadiss · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If you are referring to "Other OS", it's not targeting specific users because of EULA violations, it was patching of a "security" hole that effected all users.

      Sony probably rather not do it, but it was either that or let people like Geohot do what they want with the hypervisor.
      Game developers will not be happy, neither will gamers when they see rampant cheating online - both are their main source of income BTW.

      They picked their poison, and frankly I don't blame them for the choice they made.

    11. Re:I think by DrXym · · Score: 2

      There is nothing blatantly false about it. Do you think Sony would really give a shit if all that was stake was some box tinkerers? Of course not. What they DO give a shit about is their reputation going down the toilet if they allow piracy on their platform. It will mean less premium games and less revenues. Pirates might also try to compromise PSN, such as cheating in multiplayer games, hacking trophies and so forth. So they are obviously going to to do everything they can to minimize piracy. If that means hurting the feelings of modders, so be it. The best thing modders can do for themselves is cut loose. Mod some other box, e.g. media boxes which are $100 these days, or develop XBMC for the PS3 or run CFW and forget about PSN and new games entirely because you're not going to be able to have it on a modded box. Period.

    12. Re:I think by Zelgadiss · · Score: 2

      Crippled yes, but it was still there.

      If you want an uncrippled platform, feel free to buy a PC.

      You have to understand they are not a charity, they have to make money off the device somehow, and that "how" was through licensed games - the video hardware was how they got people to sign up for licenses.
      Consoles work on the razor and blade model, it's the way things evolved.
      Consoles have to be cheap (look what happened with the $600 PS3), so they are sold either at a loss or barely break even (manufacturing isn't the only cost mind you; R&D cost billions) in order to push adoption. A good chuck of the R&D cost is recoup through game sales.

      If you don't want to take part in this model, just buy a PC - but you can't complain about the price in comparison to consoles.

    13. Re:I think by XorNand · · Score: 2

      now you can disagree with me that sony products are usually better, but you can't ignore them.

      Er, why not? I've ignored Sony for years and I still buy a fair share of electronics. I would strongly disagree with you that they make the best of anything (except maybe gaming console, but I've still never owned a PS of any kind). 20 years ago, they used to make the best TV's. That's not the case anymore. And they've never made the best MP3 player, audio equipment, photography gear, or PCs.

      I'm not sure how any reasonably well-informed person could swallow Sony's marketing angle. What they're really good at is projecting the image that you've bought into.

      --
      Entrepreneur : (noun), French for "unemployed"
    14. Re:I think by billcopc · · Score: 2

      Well then, maybe the razor and blade model needs to be replaced with something more sustainable.

      Make the console $800, but the games $40. Then Sony doesn't need to worry about licensing and royalties... oh, but wait, this is Sony we're talking about. They love royalties, fuck.

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
  2. So... by Aeternitas827 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Does this mean that Sony have now published the key? Its not as though the person running the Twitter account had to retweet. Reply or dm would have been sufficient to get the quip in. A simple Google search would have told what this was, after all.

    --
    I don't post AC. I like my -1, Flamebaits. Trump/Sheen 2012 on the Batshit Insane ticket!
    1. Re:So... by Matt.Battey · · Score: 2

      Actually, it probably means that his Twitter account was hacked, and the key posted. In another article Sony indicated that they would be going after every web site hosting the key to remove it from the internet. Now that key is posted on Slashdot.

    2. Re:So... by NETHED · · Score: 2

      Honestly, I doubt the poor shlub about to be fired from marketing had ANY idea what he was doing. He saw the @-reply towards his account, didn't know what that meant, and decided to make a funny. Someone else at Sony saw the "you sunk my battleship" tweet, and after a mild heart attack and stroke, ran to the aforementioned shlub and told him to remove the tweet. What does this mean? It means that Sony's legal position is now much more tenuous, but I highly doubt if that will stop lawyers who are working on a per hour basis, and not a per won case basis.

      --
      --sig fault--
    3. Re:So... by miknix · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I think the guy behind TheKevinButler twitter account thought the twittered PS3 master key was some kind of coordinates, that's why he replied "you sank my Battleship?". After someone from Sony realized it was in fact the master key, the marketing team must have removed the related post. Makes sense.. no?

    4. Re:So... by PitaBred · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Doubtful. Not many people could tell what a private key is when looking at it, especially not a marketing type who doesn't deal with that shit. I'm betting it was just an ignorance mistake on the part of whoever was manning the Kevin Jack twitter account at that time. Just because you see an encryption key doesn't mean 99% of the rest of the world will know what it is.

      Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity.

      --
      My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
    5. Re:So... by Dunbal · · Score: 2

      But in a way, his battleship was most certainly sunk...

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  3. Or... by Deimos24601 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    His twitter account probably got hacked.

    1. Re:Or... by franciscohs · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I never understood this "account hacked" thing. You mean that twitter service has a security vulnerability and someone was able to tweet with his account without the right credentials, OR someone used his account logging in with his weak password?, because that's not hacking on my book.

  4. Re:Well, this just goes to show ... by Nadaka · · Score: 3, Insightful

    69000 new IPs to subpoena?

  5. I don't understand. why did this happen? by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why did this happen? A few theories:

    1) an unintentional auto-complete disaster
    2) disgruntled employee
    3) Hacked twitter account used to launder code in to public domain
    4) A diversion: A secondary easily revoked key, not the master, being used to take the piss out of efforts to to find the real master ....???
    what is your guess?

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    1. Re:I don't understand. why did this happen? by zill · · Score: 5, Funny

      1) an unintentional auto-complete disaster

      Yeah, don't you just hate it when you type 46 and 46 DC EA D3 17 FE 45 D8 09 23 EB 97 E4 95 64 10 D4 CD B2 C2 get suggested.

    2. Re:I don't understand. why did this happen? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      This is the real key. It's been known for a few weeks now. Sony has been trying to suppress anyone who reposts the key. Obviously a futile effort.
      The marketing guy was tricked into tweeting the key as he responded to another tweet.

    3. Re:I don't understand. why did this happen? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think you missed a major possibility:

      5) As a marketing guy, he has no clue what he was looking at.

      Look at his reply: "Lemme guess... you sank my Battleship?" He's guessing, he doesn't know what the string of characters is. He's in marketing, not engineering. That's why the message got removed, because someone who did know what they're seeing contacted him about it (and he's now probably hoping that he doesn't get fired for it).

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    4. Re:I don't understand. why did this happen? by M8e · · Score: 5, Funny

      Or when you want to write 46 DC EA D3 17 FE 45 D8 09 23 EB 97 E4 95 64 10 D4 CD B2 C2 and 46 DC EA D3 17 FE 45 D8 09 23 EB 97 E4 95 64 10 D4 CD B2 C2 don't get suggested until you typed 46 DC EA D3 17 FE 45 D8 09 23 EB 97 E4 95 64 10 D4 CD B2 C.

    5. Re:I don't understand. why did this happen? by Goaway · · Score: 2

      There's no need to speculate, you can just look at the image to know.

      Somebody posted the key and referenced his account. He replied, repeating the key, beacuse he didn't know what it was.

    6. Re:I don't understand. why did this happen? by idontgno · · Score: 2

      The PS3 hasn't had a "killer app" yet.

      Sure it has. There was the app that killed "Other OS", and the app that killed the ability to run games completely offline...

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
  6. Re:How about by Daetrin · · Score: 4, Informative

    You are entirely correct, that is the not the real Kevin Butler's real twitter account.

    (It is however the "real" Kevin Butler's "real" twitter account.)

    --
    This Space Intentionally Left Blank
  7. Re:Well, this just goes to show ... by jemtallon · · Score: 2

    http://search.dilbert.com/comic/Marketing%20Liquor

  8. What's next.. by BattleApple · · Score: 2

    Is Milton Bradley going to file a lawsuit against Sony?

  9. A clever dupe! by LordStormes · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Look at the reply - "Lemme guess, you sank my battleship!" - The marketing guy had NO IDEA what he was reposting, he was simply trying to figure out why some guy dumped a random string of characters on his Twitter. With the spaces in there, it looks like a log of a Battleship game. The original tweeter simply confused a non-IT guy who had no idea that was even a hexidecimal value, let alone the significance of that particular one, into replying to a tweet. In short, absolutely brilliant.

    1. Re:A clever dupe! by Nemyst · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The irony of the situation is how appropriate that response is, even in the new context.

    2. Re:A clever dupe! by smelch · · Score: 2

      You're an idiot, he didn't really think it was battleship. Every comment I read from somebody who thinks he really thought it was battleship makes me want to punch somebody. He thought it was random bullshit, thats what makes his response a joke and not a conversation. Has Kevin Butler ever said anything (except maybe at E3) that wasn't a joke? Shut up.

      --
      If I can just reach out with my words and touch a butthole, just one, it will all be worth it.
  10. Re:Confused... by Bill+Dimm · · Score: 4, Informative

    My (perhaps incorrect) understanding is that exiva tweeted the key to Kevin Butler (the marketing guy) followed by the words "Come at me." Kevin Butler then retweeted it with "Lemme guess... you sank my Battleship?" because he didn't know what it was. So, Sony didn't give the key to a marketing guy, someone outside of Sony (exiva) did.

  11. In the context of trade secrets and the law ... by perpenso · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I am guessing, but I think the poster was asking if Sony published in the context of protecting a trade secret. My understanding is that if a company fails to protect and/or publishes a trade secret, either intentionally or accidentally, the information loses its trade secret status in the eyes of the law. So in this context it is an interest question, does publicly repeating what an outside has said count as disclosure of a trade secret with respect to the law?

    1. Re:In the context of trade secrets and the law ... by Aeternitas827 · · Score: 2

      I'm guessing it wouldn't help with suits in progress (since those actions pre-date this tweet); but, I can see it being more difficult (not necessary impossible) to go after other people under the anti-circumvention aspects of the DMCA.

      Now, if something like this can be subject to copyright (which, I wouldn't think it would be able to, but I can't say for sure--IANAL), there may still be action there to be had.

      --
      I don't post AC. I like my -1, Flamebaits. Trump/Sheen 2012 on the Batshit Insane ticket!
  12. Kevin Butler by a_nonamiss · · Score: 3, Informative

    Do you people realize that Kevin Butler isn't even a real person? (At least, not at Sony.) He's a fictional character played by an actor. This twitter account is probably manned by dozens of employees in the marketing department paid to do just that. Any one of them could have been tricked or compromised. citation

    --
    -Arthur
    Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules
  13. Yuo sunk mah battleship by otis+wildflower · · Score: 4, Funny

    http://www.unixslave.com/ysmb.png

  14. XNA by tepples · · Score: 5, Informative

    As I understand it, there hasn't been much of an effort to jailbreak the Xbox 360 console for homebrew because Microsoft offers a limited "XNA" sandbox in which to make, run, and even sell homebrew games, and it appears far more committed to XNA than Sony ever was to Other OS.

    1. Re:XNA by tepples · · Score: 2

      And as far as "limited" goes, for most people just creating games for fun and the hell of it ... the only boundary has been time.

      There are plenty of other boundaries. All code must be verifiably type-safe IL, which rules out porting games written in standard C++. (The verifiably type-safe subset of C++/CLI is incompatible with standard C++.) Games may include text only in a handful of languages, which rules out games designed for teaching other languages or RPGs where a character encounters a village of NPCs who aren't fluent in the common tongue and learning their language is a quest. And until XNA 4 introduced the "dynamic sound effect", there was no way to synthesize speech.

    2. Re:XNA by TrancePhreak · · Score: 2

      And yet that has not mattered to most of the XNA devs.

      --

      -]Phreak Out[-
    3. Re:XNA by pavon · · Score: 2

      Yeah, but the Other OS sandbox prevented it from accessing the GPU which made it completely unsuitable for homebrew games. The XNA dev kit is free, and games created with it can be freely distributed on windows computers. Distributing on XBox live requires a $99/year subscription, but that is pretty cheap for what you get. If you sell your game for $5, it only takes 20 sales to pay it off. Microsoft also does a good job of promoting good homebrew games. My only complaint about it is that it isn't compatible with open source development. Microsoft has done more to support homebrew game development on the 360 than any other console maker since the video game crash of '83.

  15. this story is stupid and "Kevin Buttler" is stupid by Thud457 · · Score: 2

    46 DC EA 17 FE 45 09 23 EB 97 E4 95 64 10 CD are not valid Battleship(tm) coordinates, although D3 D8 E4 D4 B2 C2 are. The Battleship(tm) board is labelled with rows 1-10 an columns A-L . So valid Battleship(tm) coordinates would be always be a combination of a letter and a number.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  16. you sank my Battleship? by Andrewkov · · Score: 2

    "'@TheKevinButler Lemme guess... you sank my Battleship?"

    Yes, yes he did.

  17. You're not kidding... by Xenographic · · Score: 2

    No kidding. They even plan to subpoena Slashdot (not to mention Twitter). I don't know what they'll get out of that except for a lot of "in soviet Russia" jokes, but I guess their lawyers like wasting their client's billable hours on fishing expeditions?

    I suggest they try Googling that key. I don't know how many results they'll find, but I'm guessing there will be thousands, if not more. It's kind of futile to tell the judge that you need expedited discovery and such when the cat is not merely out of the bag, but halfway across the galaxy, isn't it? But hey, I guess you guys might see it differently. You could go send a million nastygrams to everyone who reads the news and rack up $200/hr. Fact is, I just hate Sony. I don't have a PS3 because I've been boycotting Sony since the time they infected people with that rootkit, so this hexadecimal number you're trying to censor is utterly worthless to me. I can't very well circumvent the protections on a device I'll never own, now, can I?