The Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) was not only jail broken (hacked) by the Infamous iPhone hacker George Hotz (aka geohot) in December of 2010 but the root keys, which give programmers full access to the PS3 file system, have also been published. This has led to a wave of "homebrew" applications for the PS3 console. These applications range from adding HD media support (.mkv) to allowing pirated versions of games to be played off the internal and external USB hard drives.

Sony has responded with a digital iron fist - filing suit against George Hotz for violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and requesting a cease and desist on distribution of the hack and its private keys. The only problem with this is the internet. There are multiple versions of custom firmware that give full access to the PS3 console to its owner all over the web on hundreds of different sites located all around the world.

The second counter attack in the war on PS3 piracy was a mandatory firmware update issued by Sony that is required in order to connect to the PlayStation Network, which is the online gamming community for the PS3. The hacking community responded with multiple work-arounds that trick the console into thinking that it has the most up to date version of the firmware and allowing users access to the PlayStation Network. Sony’s latest move is a warning that states "To avoid termination of your PlayStation Network access, you must ensure that you have moved from any Custom firmware to the current official firmware version, 3.56." Sony seeks to permanently ban all modified consoles from connecting to the PlayStation Network. This ban could potentially and irreversably disconnect millions of consoles globally, making it one of the largest bans in history.

Things to note:
George Hotz was also sued by Apple after he jail broke the iPhone; he won.
Companies have been banning hackers for years and the only way to get un-banned, is by buying another device.
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Josh Lopez

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  1. Was looking for news I haven't heard yet, but oh well.

    I'll be honest, i've jailbroken my PS3 system so I can mod certain games (never pirated) but after Sony's latest statement I took off all mods and hacks in fear. I'm hoping Sony does something to get rid of these hacks now, not to ban thousands of people but to at least patch it so Sony doesn't look like complete idiots. Seriously Sony, these independent programmers know more about the PS3 than you!

    Do Something already!

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  2. Policy is clear ...Sony see here a way to earn more monney. On 10 mil banned consloes they will sold another 5-6mil ...like Micro$oft xbox 360 have done.
    I dont give a sh for online playing, want play offline and i dont care for network ban.
    Games are too expensive ,when price go to 20-25€ i will think about online playing ...

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