Original Sony PlayStation 2 security chip ‘broken wide open’ after 26 years

原版索尼 PlayStation 2 安全芯片在 26 年后被“彻底破解”

The ‘magic security chip’ inside the original PlayStation 2 has been successfully reverse-engineered and dumped. Canadian retro hardware and software enthusiast DiscoStarslayer was the manic mind behind the cracking open of the CXP102064 MechaCon chip, which arrived inside the ‘PS2 Fat’ from 1999. It took “four years of effort” to reach this stage, but this milestone should be a boon to hardware preservation, repair, and emulation projects.

原版 PlayStation 2 内部的“魔法安全芯片”已被成功逆向工程并提取出数据。加拿大复古软硬件爱好者 DiscoStarslayer 是破解 CXP102064 MechaCon 芯片的幕后功臣，该芯片搭载于 1999 年推出的“厚机版 PS2”中。这一成果耗费了“四年的努力”，但这一里程碑将为硬件保存、维修和模拟器项目带来巨大福音。

The Mechacon got its name from its primary duty of controlling the PS2’s optical and flash drive mechanics. It also played a significant part in Sony’s game optical disc security, supporting “Magic Gate [memory card] and KELF file [executable] decryption among other things,” notes the PSDev Wiki. Unlocking the secret workings of such chips can be important to those involved in video game preservation. So, many people will appreciate DiscoStarslayer’s work in reverse engineering and dumping one of the PS2’s last remaining secrets.

Mechacon 得名于其主要职责：控制 PS2 的光驱和闪存驱动器机械结构。据 PSDev Wiki 记载，它在索尼的游戏光盘安全机制中也扮演了重要角色，支持“Magic Gate（记忆卡）和 KELF 文件（可执行文件）解密等功能”。破解此类芯片的内部运作机制对于从事电子游戏保存工作的人员至关重要。因此，许多人都会赞赏 DiscoStarslayer 在逆向工程和提取 PS2 最后剩余秘密之一方面所做的工作。

As per the social media post, the arduous task of breaking the MechaCon’s security took four years. Some of the reverse engineering tricks utilized by DiscoStarslayer include chemically decapping the CXP102064 to expose the die, then using microscopes and optical dumping skills to analyze the silicon chip circuitry. In this case, a lucky break during the hacking apparently uncovered an exploit that provided a method whereby the chip’s data could be extracted through software.

根据社交媒体上的帖子，破解 MechaCon 安全机制的艰巨任务耗时四年。DiscoStarslayer 使用的逆向工程技巧包括通过化学手段对 CXP102064 进行开盖以露出芯片裸片，然后利用显微镜和光学提取技术分析硅芯片电路。在此过程中，黑客攻击时的一次幸运突破发现了一个漏洞，提供了一种通过软件提取芯片数据的方法。

With this achievement unlocked, the game/hardware preservation and programming communities can look forward to improved emulation and homebrew developments. It should also open up possibilities for replacing the aging optical drives in PS2 consoles.

随着这一成就的达成，游戏/硬件保存和编程社区可以期待模拟器性能的提升以及自制软件（Homebrew）的发展。这也为更换 PS2 主机中老化的光驱提供了新的可能性。

Beyond the confines of PS2 Fat consoles, some social media commenters noted that the MechaCon was also used in a handful of arcade machines from the era. Specifically, the Namco System 246 and System 256, as well as the Konami Python 1, which used modified PS2 hardware, used the MechaCon firmware to authenticate security and allow the execution of encrypted game data.

除了 PS2 厚机之外，一些社交媒体评论者指出，MechaCon 也被用于当时的一些街机设备中。具体来说，Namco System 246 和 System 256，以及使用改进版 PS2 硬件的 Konami Python 1，都利用了 MechaCon 固件来进行安全验证，并允许执行加密的游戏数据。