PS3 How to sync trohpies without so much risk on HFW (Hen)

[Lichi]

So if a post about this topic is already created post the link here and I will delete this thread, searched for a bit but I found all of the threads were related to CFW, not HFW

I once did this some years ago, wanted to check if this was the correct method or if something new and safer came out

My idea would be the following: once I earn all the trophies I wanted to earn by playing games in my modified firmware console, I would then update to OFW via usb and safe mode, and once thats done, I would then log in to my PSN account, sync them, and that would be it. After that I would log out and do the process of installing hen again

That is the safest method from which syncing can be done right? The safest way would be to format the disk before installing ofw, but if you format the disk all the trophies you earned will disappear

Greetings!

 

[NiQ]

So if a post about this topic is already created post the link here and I will delete this thread, searched for a bit but I found all of the threads were related to CFW, not HFW

I once did this some years ago, wanted to check if this was the correct method or if something new and safer came out

My idea would be the following: once I earn all the trophies I wanted to earn by playing games in my modified firmware console, I would then update to OFW via usb and safe mode, and once thats done, I would then log in to my PSN account, sync them, and that would be it. After that I would log out and do the process of installing hen again

That is the safest method from which syncing can be done right? The safest way would be to format the disk before installing ofw, but if you format the disk all the trophies you earned will disappear

Greetings!

There is zero risk in syncing trophies on HEN or CFW, as long as the trophies themselves are legit.

Neither CFW nor HEN "announce" to PSN that the console is modified (that'd just be stupid). The community is well aware of how the PSN login process works, what data is sent and what is not, and it's known that the PS3 by itself does not send anything that can give away that it's modded. What can happen is that you play a game, and that game has code that detects modded consoles, and reports that to PSN. That's why it's recommended to disable syscalls. However, in your case if you don't plan on actually launching any games, none of that even matters.

The only risks in your case -

1. If the trophies are hacked, i.e. you've used trophy unlocker tools to give yourself the trophies without obtaining them legit in game, there's a serious risk of bans (it's the 2nd biggest ban reason, after cheating). Sony has server side code that detects anomalies in trophies being synced. We don't know what exactly it's looking for, because it only runs on Sony's servers, but one example we do know is that too many trophies with similar timestamps will trigger a ban. Note that even flashing OFW will not help you with this one, since it's the trophies themselves that are being checked, not your consoles. Rule of thumb - don't trophy hack and you'd be fine.
2. If you're on a low firmware version and spoof the version to the latest one (4.92 as of the time of writing this), you might be banned on login. The reason is that Sony has modified the login process several times during the PS3's lifetime, and if the PS3 announces that it's on the latest firmware but then tries to log in using an outdated method, it's giving away that it's modded. That said, I don't think the login's changed for several years now, at the very least since 4.89. Still, since the PS3 can be modded even on the latest version, there's absolutely no need to spoof anything to begin with. If and when Sony releases 4.93, wait until the people here study it and report whether it's ok to spoof it (or just release CFW / HEN for it, whichever comes first).

 

[LuanTeles]

There is zero risk in syncing trophies on HEN or CFW, as long as the trophies themselves are legit.

Neither CFW nor HEN "announce" to PSN that the console is modified (that'd just be stupid). The community is well aware of how the PSN login process works, what data is sent and what is not, and it's known that the PS3 by itself does not send anything that can give away that it's modded. What can happen is that you play a game, and that game has code that detects modded consoles, and reports that to PSN. That's why it's recommended to disable syscalls. However, in your case if you don't plan on actually launching any games, none of that even matters.

Actually, that's not entirely true. The PS3 sends a file called PTL.TMP to Sony, which contains a list of all running processes and plugins, as well as MI.TMP, which stores the history of launched GameIDs. I wonder why a patch was never created to prevent these files from being generated in the first place.

BTW, these files are deleted when the syscalls are disabled (CFW and HEN)

 

[NiQ]

Actually, that's not entirely true. The PS3 sends a file called PTL.TMP to Sony, which contains a list of all running processes and plugins, as well as MI.TMP, which stores the history of launched GameIDs. I wonder why a patch was never created to prevent these files from being generated in the first place.

BTW, these files are deleted when the syscalls are disabled (CFW and HEN)

Don't they get re-created when you log in?
Also, has anyone ever been banned due to those files? If not, that might explain why no one's ever bothered with a patch.

 

[Lichi]

Sooo if I disable syscall before logging in to psn, I could login to psn and synch trophies with basically no risk even if doing so on modified firmware?
And btw NiQ, it's not that I thought that CFW or HEN announced to PSN the consoles were modified as you suggested. I thought that was reasonable that Sony could detect something was off if you accessed their servers through a modified firmware system. It's something I've heard like 2 or 3 years ago I think. Great to know it's kind of not the case tho

 

[NiQ]

Sooo if I disable syscall before logging in to psn, I could login to psn and synch trophies with basically no risk even if doing so on modified firmware?
And btw NiQ, it's not that I thought that CFW or HEN announced to PSN the consoles were modified as you suggested. I thought that was reasonable that Sony could detect something was off if you accessed their servers through a modified firmware system. It's something I've heard like 2 or 3 years ago I think. Great to know it's kind of not the case tho

Yes, there's no risk unless the trophies themselves are legit.
As Luan said, there are a couple of files that the PS3 sends that identify the environment, but the process of disabling syscalls deletes them both so it ends up sending nothing. And even if I'm wrong, the fact is that people have been synching trophies on modded consoles for many years, including trophies that can give away the console as modded, such as pirated digital games or even beta games (the latter usually unsuccessfully), and still did not get a ban. All trophy related bans afaik were hacked trophies or trophies obtained by cheating.
At this point in the PS3's life it in very unlikely that Sony would ever change anything. Whatever automatic detection code they have seems to have remained the same for over a decade, and the only bans or suspensions issued manually are due to reports by other users for racist messages. Sony probably does not seem to care about pirated games on the PS3 or PS3 modding in general, probably because any revenue from it is negligible at this point. If you want more proof - The developers of both Evilnat and webMAN MOD don't even bother hiding their real names, and they haven't received a single C&D.

Anyway, if you still want to avoid synching trophies from modded console, I'd recommend installing DB instead of true OFW. DB is basically OFW with just one change - it allows you to reinstall CFW without doing the entire jailbreak again. The patch is so minimal that it's undetectable.