How does it work?
The Dragon Based mechacon store configuration flags and patches encrypted in their eeprom, the patch DES key was eventually bruteforced which allowed code execution on those units and for the full keystore to be dumped.
Normally the patch area is write protected and cannot be written to at runtime except while using PMAP in TEST mode (this requires soldering) furthermore the configuration area can only be written to when it is empty.
This is done to prevent an attacker or anyone outside of Sony's own factory to overwrite mechacon configuration.
However an exploitable bug was found in the writeconfig function which allows to write arbitrary data to the patch area, this allows to write a mechacon patch which disables the write protection on mechacon configuration bits and thus set specific regions and flags to mechacon.
This allows the following on SCPH-5000X and SCPH-7000x:
- Disable disc region checks (ps1 and ps2 discs from all region as well as masterdiscs mount with data accessible)
- Change the region the console reports as, as well as change the disc/kelf region that mechacon allows
- BOOT original PS2 discs from NTSC-J and NTSC-U regions directly from the OSD (NTSC-J units only)
- BOOT original PS2 discs all regions directly from the OSD (NTSC-U and ASIA (non NTSC-J) units only)
- BOOT original PS2 discs all regions as well as PS2 Masterdiscs from all region by skipping the logo check (for example by loading a disc using ulaunchelf)
- BOOT PS1 disc originals and backups from the console's original region (NTSC-J and PAL consoles)
- BOOT PS1 disc originals and backups from all regions (NTSC-U and ASIA (non NTSC-J) units only)
On SCPH-7500X and later models (also known as Deckard consoles):
- Disable disc region checks (ps1 and ps2 discs from all region as well as masterdiscs mount with data accessible)
- Change the IOP ROM region (the ROM sets a specific bank according to the mechacon region flags)
- Change the region the console reports as, as well as change the disc/kelf region that mechacon allows
- BOOT original PS2 discs all regions directly from the OSD
- BOOT original PS2 discs all regions as well as PS2 Masterdiscs from all region by skipping the logo check (for example by loading a disc using ulaunchelf)
- BOOT PS1 disc originals and backups from all regions
