Jump to content

George Hotz: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Tag: references removed
m Reverted edits by 68.191.222.243 to last revision by Ash (HG)
Line 30: Line 30:
On October 31, 2009 Hotz announced the impending release of Blacksn0w RC3, this version will allow SIM unlock of all iPhones.<ref>http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/2009/11/information-campaign.html</ref> Blacksn0w was originally scheduled for release on November 4, 2009, but due to positive test results it was moved to the 3rd. Blacksn0w was the #1 trending topic on Twitter as requested by GeoHot only moments after its release.
On October 31, 2009 Hotz announced the impending release of Blacksn0w RC3, this version will allow SIM unlock of all iPhones.<ref>http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/2009/11/information-campaign.html</ref> Blacksn0w was originally scheduled for release on November 4, 2009, but due to positive test results it was moved to the 3rd. Blacksn0w was the #1 trending topic on Twitter as requested by GeoHot only moments after its release.


==Hacking the PlayStation 3==
<nowiki>Insert non-formatted text here</nowiki>
In the end of 2009 Hotz announced his efforts to hack the [[Sony]] [[PlayStation 3]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geohotps3.blogspot.com/2009/12/real-challenge.html |title=A Real Challenge |publisher=George Hotz |date=December 26, 2009 |accessdate=January 25, 2010}}</ref> At that time, the console remained the only fully locked system of the [[History of video game consoles (seventh generation)|seventh generation era]] and was widely regarded being very secure and almost unhackable. Hotz opened a blog to document his progress and five weeks later, on January 22, 2010, announced that he had successfully hacked the system saying: "Hello [[hypervisor]], I'm geohot".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geohotps3.blogspot.com |title=On The PlayStation 3 |publisher=George Hotz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://geohotps3.blogspot.com/2010/01/hello-hypervisor-im-geohot.html |title=Hello hypervisor, I'm geohot |publisher=George Hotz |date=January 22, 2010 |accessdate=January 25, 2010}}</ref> Hotz claimed that he achieved "read/write access to the entire system memory, and HV level access to the processor". Hotz also detailed that his work could allow [[homebrew]], [[PS2]] [[emulation]] and the capability to run [[Copyright infringement|pirated]] PS3 games and game backups.<ref name="BBC News">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8478764.stm |title=PlayStation 3 'hacked' by iPhone cracker |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=January 25, 2010 |accessdate=January 25, 2010}}</ref>
<sup>Superscript text</sup>

On January 26, 2010, Hotz released the [[exploit]] to the public. It requires the [[Linux on the PlayStation 3|Other OS]] function of the PS3 and consists of patching the [[Linux kernel]] and gaining control of the [[hypervisor]] with the help of an [[FPGA]] using a unique solder point.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geohotps3.blogspot.com/2010/01/heres-your-silver-platter.html |title=Here your silver platter |publisher=George Hotz |date=January 26, 2010 |accessdate=January 27, 2010}}</ref> Hotz declared that "Sony may have difficulty [[patch]]ing the exploit". As of February 21st, Sony has yet to release a patch addressing this issue.<ref name="BBC News"/>


==Other accomplishments and recognition==
==Other accomplishments and recognition==

Revision as of 16:20, 22 February 2010

George Hotz
Born (1989-10-02) October 2, 1989 (age 34)
United States
Alma materBergen County Academies

George Francis Hotz (born October 2, 1989), alias geohot, million75 or simply mil is a hacker famous for unlocking the iPhone allowing the phone to be used with other wireless carriers, contrary to AT&T and Apple's intent.[1][2] He also hacked the PlayStation 3 and released an exploit.[3]

Unlocking the Apple iPhone

Hotz, who had bought his first iPhone on its launch date, was originally associated with the iPhone Dev unlocking team, but was later banned from the team.[4] He estimates that he spent more than 500 hours working on the unlock. He said his primary aim was to enable other users to easily unlock their own iPhones.[citation needed]

According to his blog, Hotz traded his unlocked 8GB iPhone to Terry Daidone, the founder of Certicell, for a Nissan 350Z car and three 8GB iPhones.[5] Hotz said he wanted to give the iPhones to the other members of the team who created the hack with him.[6] Hotz's hardware based unlocking technique has largely been replaced by software unlocking that does not require dis-assembly of the iPhone.[7]

George Hotz recently developed the first software unlock for the iPhone's new Bootloader Version 4.6 that was previously only achievable with a "testpoint based hardware unlock".[8]

George gave the iPhone Dev Team an exploit he found in the at+stkprof command that they used as an injection vector for their yellowsn0w payload, which resulted in the first software, iPhone 3G unlock. In the sourcecode for YellowSn0w, the 3G unlock daemon, it reads "thanks geohot for at+stkprof 02.28 injection vector".

On July 3, 2009, Hotz announced purplera1n, the first public software exploit for jailbreaking the iPhone 3GS. Details were posted on his blog.[9]

On October 11, 2009, at 3:33AM Hotz released blackra1n, a jailbreak for all iPhones and iPod Touches (except for the iPod Touch 3G 8GB model). The only caveat was that the iPod Touch 3G would need a "tethered jailbreak" to work. The hashtag, #blackra1n was the number one Trend on Twitter for a few minutes by request from GeoHot,[10] occasionally losing to a non-existing fake jailbreak under the name AppuloHa1l, released on '#ha1lday', October 11. AppuloHa1l however was a RickRoll.

On October 25, 2009 Hotz released Blackra1n RC2 an update to his previous blackra1n utility, This version allows MC Model users to jailbreak their iPod touches as well.[11]

On October 31, 2009 Hotz announced the impending release of Blacksn0w RC3, this version will allow SIM unlock of all iPhones.[12] Blacksn0w was originally scheduled for release on November 4, 2009, but due to positive test results it was moved to the 3rd. Blacksn0w was the #1 trending topic on Twitter as requested by GeoHot only moments after its release.

Hacking the PlayStation 3

In the end of 2009 Hotz announced his efforts to hack the Sony PlayStation 3.[13] At that time, the console remained the only fully locked system of the seventh generation era and was widely regarded being very secure and almost unhackable. Hotz opened a blog to document his progress and five weeks later, on January 22, 2010, announced that he had successfully hacked the system saying: "Hello hypervisor, I'm geohot".[14][15] Hotz claimed that he achieved "read/write access to the entire system memory, and HV level access to the processor". Hotz also detailed that his work could allow homebrew, PS2 emulation and the capability to run pirated PS3 games and game backups.[16]

On January 26, 2010, Hotz released the exploit to the public. It requires the Other OS function of the PS3 and consists of patching the Linux kernel and gaining control of the hypervisor with the help of an FPGA using a unique solder point.[17] Hotz declared that "Sony may have difficulty patching the exploit". As of February 21st, Sony has yet to release a patch addressing this issue.[16]

Other accomplishments and recognition

Hotz was a finalist at the 2005 ISEF competition, with his project "The Googler".[18] Continuing with robots, Hotz competed in his school's highly successful Titanium Knights battlebots team. George also worked on his project, "Neuropilot," in which he was able to read EEG signals off his head with hardware from the OpenEEG project.

Hotz competed in the 2007 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a science competition for high school students, where his project, entitled "I want a Holodeck," received awards and prizes in several categories.[19] Hotz has received considerable attention in mainstream media, including interviews on the Today Show, Fox, CNN, NBC, CBS, G4, ABC[20] CNBC,[21] and articles in several magazines, newspapers, and websites, including Forbes,[22] and BBC.[23]

The Forbes article said Hotz hopes to go into neuroscience: "hacking the brain," he called it. In March 2008, PC World magazine listed George as one of the top 10 Overachievers under 21.[24]

In December 2007, Hotz travelled to Sweden to attend the Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar and talk about his 3-D imaging invention (called Project Holodeck) that netted him a $20,000 Intel prize earlier that year.[25]

Controversy

On July 12, 2008, Hotz posted on his blog that he had obtained a copy of the iPhone Dev Team's unreleased hack for the iPhone 2.0 firmware. Hotz created a website, www.yiphone.org.[26] It was widely accepted that should the Dev Team fail to release their hack by the time the counter hit 0 that Hotz would release his exploit under the name of yiPhone. The Dev Team responded to the threat and created the site www.ihazsupper.com.[27]

The website was a spoof rework of The last supper that targets Hotz and Kroo who are identified by Google sweaters and with the distinct lack of a halo that are adorned by the rest of the other characters in the image, Hotz takes the place of Judas Iscariot and the character of Kroo was made to lay in the lap of Steve Wozniak, these being obvious references to the leaked software and underhandedness of the subject matter.

Hotz later claimed that yiPhone itself was a spoof of the controversial unlock/jailbreak utility, ZiPhone and was Hotz's commentary on the claim that the author of Ziphone was using stolen code and soliciting large amounts of money. Hotz, in a statement on his blog stated that he "[has] never done the jailbreaks for any previous versions of the phone..."[28]

Personal life

Hotz grew up in Glen Rock, New Jersey, where he attended the Bergen County Academies, a magnet public high school. He has one sister, Julia Hotz, alias "Fifty". [29]

References

  1. ^ Stone, Brad (August 25, 2007). "With Software and Soldering, AT&T's Lock on iPhone Is Undone". New York Times. p. C-1. Retrieved 2007-09-02. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Interview with 17 year old iPhone hacker". CNBC. September 30, 2007.
  3. ^ "Prolific hacker releases PlayStation exploit". The Register. January 27, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  4. ^ ~geohot's unlocking manifesto Accessed May 3, 2008.
  5. ^ On the iPhone: THE iPhone HAS BEEN TRADED, Accessed May 3, 2008.
  6. ^ On the iPhone: Postmortem Accessed August 3, 2009
  7. ^ Code to unlock iPhone cracked Accessed October 11, 2007.
  8. ^ On the iPhone: 11246unlock, good enough for the prize
  9. ^ http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/
  10. ^ http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/2009/10/blackra1n.html
  11. ^ http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/2009/10/blackra1n-is-live.html
  12. ^ http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/2009/11/information-campaign.html
  13. ^ "A Real Challenge". George Hotz. December 26, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  14. ^ "On The PlayStation 3". George Hotz.
  15. ^ "Hello hypervisor, I'm geohot". George Hotz. January 22, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  16. ^ a b "PlayStation 3 'hacked' by iPhone cracker". BBC News. January 25, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  17. ^ "Here your silver platter". George Hotz. January 26, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
  18. ^ ISEF site listing finalists
  19. ^ Grand Awards Ceremony of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2007. Intel Education. Accessed August 24, 2007.
  20. ^ YouTube - Teen 'Unlocks' iPhone From AT&T Network
  21. ^ Breitbart.tv » iPhone Hacker Explains How He Did It
  22. ^ Junior R&D - Forbes.com
  23. ^ Fildes, Jonathan (January 25, 2010). "PlayStation 3 'hacked' by iPhone cracker". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
  24. ^ PC World - Meet the Whiz Kids: 10 Overachievers Under 21
  25. ^ SIYSS Participants List
  26. ^ yiPhone Website
  27. ^ Dev Team Spoof yiPhone Website
  28. ^ On the iPhone: yiPhone and otherwise
  29. ^ McKay, Martha. "Tech whiz cracks code tying it to AT&T network", The Record (Bergen County), August 24, 2007. Accessed August 27, 2007. "The 17-year-old Glen Rock resident posted the complicated steps on his blog Thursday.... 'I've lived and breathed that phone for the last two months,' said Hotz, a Bergen County Academies grad who won a prestigious $20,000 Intel science fair prize this year for a device that projects a 3-D image. His father is currently a teacher at girls only school IHA. (Immaculate Heart Academy)
Wikinews has related news:
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Hotz&oldid=345682193"