PS3 has been hacked/jailbreaked

[Victoria Raverna]

Lastly, nothing entitles them to run anything on the system really. Although really, they and we, do buy the hardware, it is at a subsidized cost still.

Don't agree with this point. Sony released PS3 with Other OS as part of the basic feature, so the customers who bought the PS3 are entitled to be able to run Other OS on PS3 that had Other OS feature.

What if Microsoft release a patch that remove the ability to run third party applications on Windows? Don't you think the users are entitled to be able to run third party applications on Windows? Or what if Apple release a patch that lock 3G ipad or iphone 4 to specific service providers that was sold as factory unlocked devices? Do you think the users are entitled to be able to use those ipad and iphone with other service providers?

Subsidized cost or not, doesn't matter. Sony didn't sell PS3 with two options, subsidized pricing without Other OS and non subsidized pricing but allow you to use Other OS.

[TiLT]

You're forgetting one important point here: Sony has never advertised or marketed that feature in any way. It has just been there.

[Razgon]

You're forgetting one important point here: Sony has never advertised or marketed that feature in any way. It has just been there.

not really, it was on the stated on the package and sales exhibition when I bought it.

[CeeKay]

caught on video.

[CeeKay]

how Sony could deal with jailbreaking.. I'm thinking teams of ninjas, tentacled monsters or huge battle robots....

[gellar]

Lastly, nothing entitles them to run anything on the system really. Although really, they and we, do buy the hardware, it is at a subsidized cost still.

Don't agree with this point. Sony released PS3 with Other OS as part of the basic feature, so the customers who bought the PS3 are entitled to be able to run Other OS on PS3 that had Other OS feature.

What if Microsoft release a patch that remove the ability to run third party applications on Windows? Don't you think the users are entitled to be able to run third party applications on Windows? Or what if Apple release a patch that lock 3G ipad or iphone 4 to specific service providers that was sold as factory unlocked devices? Do you think the users are entitled to be able to use those ipad and iphone with other service providers?

Subsidized cost or not, doesn't matter. Sony didn't sell PS3 with two options, subsidized pricing without Other OS and non subsidized pricing but allow you to use Other OS.

Do you understand the concept of a EULA?

[CeeKay]

Sony goes legal : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12171423

[CeeKay]

Attack of the Show interviews geohot, one of the PS3 hackers being sued by Sony.

[Eel Snave]

Ars Technica article detailing what Sony can do. Short answer? Not much.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/01/sonys-options-are-limited-in-face-of-ps3-jailbreak.ars

[ras752000]

Anybody think Sony will shorten the lifecycle of the ps3 in order to launch a 'secured' ps4 platform?
Or is this really not that big of a deal?  You can hack the 360 and play pirated games too, right?  That has not seemed to hurt their software sales.

[TiLT]

There are several factors that need to be taken into consideration:

- PS3-games are huge! They can easily reach a size of 50 GB or so, if I'm not mistaken. That's not easy or convenient to pirate.
- Sony supposedly has a system built into the PS3 that sends reports about your recently launched applications and some other simple information via PSN, even if you're not signed in or have a PSN account! This means that as long as you have the PS3 connected to a network, it will report to Sony that you've used the hack. The only way around this that I know of is to not be connected to the internet with the hacked PS3 at all.
- Sony can supposedly remotely shut down and disable any PS3 that is connected to the internet. They've never done so to this point, probably to avoid bad press and innocent console owners getting tossed out with the garbage, but they could change their mind if the hack gets too popular. Combine this point with the former, and you've got a disaster brewing for anyone using the hacks with an internet-connected PS3.

[Eel Snave]

True, but here's the problem. The PS3 root key SIGNS APPLICATIONS. It tells the PS3 that whatever is being run is a trusted application. In other words, they won't be able to tell that something is being hacked, since there's no WAY for them to tell. All the PS3 would report (if anything) is that this user is playing games just like normal. It's even thornier when you consider that some systems are already OK to run Linux and some aren't. So if a system is running the OtherOS option, how can you be sure it's not a previous model? They have stats, but they don't have THAT good of stats.

Plus, if they start shutting down PS3s, they're going to have a worse problem on their hands and end up with even more bad press, especially from a legal standpoint. The recent ruling against Apple on the jailbreaking issue would probably form a precedent against Sony, meaning that Sony simply can't go shutting things off willy-nilly. Next up, the EULA doesn't stipulate that you can turn off the PS3, just restrict access to the PSN. Well, if the user didn't install the hack via PSN and didn't do anything to the hardware, what right would they have to turn off access to the PSN?

In other words, there's no way for Sony to know if someone is playing a pirated game or if the system has the hack. Even if they find out, they also may have no recourse in the matter from a legal standpoint. Even a hardware refresh won't help, since they would have to make sure that all the other games that have come out that depend on that root key would still work while simultaneously using whatever NEW root key they devise. It's a total mess, and one that Sony wasn't prepared for at all.

[CeeKay]

Peoples ePeen's could be threatened!!!!!

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/14/ps3-trophies-threatened-by-jailbreak-tool/

[CeeKay]

Sony's getting ready to go after more people over the jailbreak.

plus this pic made me LOL:

[CeeKay]

go go Kevin Butler! 

[Hetz]

I understand Sony being freaked out about this whole jailbreak thing (cause honestly, it's approaching the Dreamcast with the ease of pirating/running homebrew and emulators on the PS3 at this point), but I do think they are being rather heavy-handed about it. The cat is out of the bag, Sony. There is no stopping what has already happened. Like has been said, there are several factors that can reduce piracy (large size of PS3 games, not being able to play online) but suing everyone you can is not going to stop people from doing this to their PS3's if they really want to.

Oh and   at the Kevin Butler tweet!

[TiLT]

but suing everyone you can is not going to stop people from doing this to their PS3's if they really want to.

That's not what it's about. It's about showing the hackers that messing with Sony's systems and publishing their methods WILL lead to consequences. I don't think Sony are going to go after the people hacking their PS3s yet, and certainly not in this way. They're simply trying to reduce the risk that hackers will repeat this farce in the future.

[Hetz]

but suing everyone you can is not going to stop people from doing this to their PS3's if they really want to.

That's not what it's about. It's about showing the hackers that messing with Sony's systems and publishing their methods WILL lead to consequences. I don't think Sony are going to go after the people hacking their PS3s yet, and certainly not in this way. They're simply trying to reduce the risk that hackers will repeat this farce in the future.

I do understand that but honestly, I doubt it will have an impact at all on hackers. They will always be around. People have been not only sued but thrown in jail for releasing cracks for software. Has that stopped hackers from releasing new cracks for games? Piracy is rampant on consoles and on the PC. Even on the Xbox, where you have to have a physical mod to the system, people do it so they can play free games or run old NES games on it. People have been busted....yet it continues. It's a sad situation, but honestly there is nothing that can be done, unless you were to have a MMO type validation in order to play games. Even then, I am sure someone will eventually find a way around that.

By updating the firmware to 3.56...you have effectively cut off the pirates/hackers from being able to play games online or access PSN, since they have to update the firmware to access PSN. It's about the best they can do. I understand them wanting to make an example out of George Holtz, but I seriously doubt it will have any effect on Ps3 hacking when all is said and done.

[Hetz]

Oh, I also read the other day that Sony wants the IP addresses from Youtube of anyone that watched or posted a comment on the original video showing the PS3 hack. Seriously Sony? Watching a video???   

They must be REALLY scared if they are going that far....

[CeeKay]

Big Brother Sony is watching you.

[Destructor]

Big Brother Sony is watching you.

Or they're not quite capable of watching you, or at least proving that what gets sent through their network is true:

Hackers can even (possibly) ban your console. From a source via a forum post (that is now gone for whatever reason, but this link says that they've received multiple reports that says that this is quite possible and real:

    Hot off the press, and on the heels of Sony trying to find all the modded PS3 consoles, comes a funny story from SKFU’s Blog (an PS3 researcher/developer), along with a real way to UNBAN yourself, but watch out LEGIT PS3 owners, you could end up being banned by another user!

    1) The bans are based on the users’ account and console ID’s.

    2) We can modify all traffic sent and received by the PlayStation3

    What if some skiddies start to modify their sent traffic to appear as another user and use backups?

    The PSN servers would recognize the TOS violation and check the online user database for known connections based on the ID’s. The user and his consoles who really owns the ID’s would be banned.

    Even a simple Windows application which goes through ALL ID’s may be possible. 24 hours and any console worldwide would be banned.

    This should definitely be double-checked by SONY.

Lovely. Quite lovely.

[CeeKay]

Sony is allowed to look up the IP of anyone who visited GeoHot's website, but just to see how widely disrtibuted the files were:

Magistrate Spero explained the information obtained by the subpoena would be used to measure the extent of the "defendant's distribution" of the jailbreak files, as well as settle whether Sony must sue Hotz in New Jersey or San Francisco -- the former being Hotz's home state, and the latter being the region in which Sony argues the files were most downloaded.

[Turtle]

Any lawyers know the legal precedents behind this?

This is why I'm glad that the hacker got donations for his legal defense. Let's be frank, he did break some laws. But at the same time, you just know any big company, like Sony, would go overboard with their legal team. This seems like they've gone way too far.

[CeeKay]

and now Sony is allowed to access to his PayPal records: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/03/playstation-hacker-paypal/

[rickfc]

Is Sony's handling of the situation starting to cost them in other areas?

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110322/01324413579/top-hacker-rejects-job-offer-sony-over-ps3-jailbreak-legal-strategy.shtml

[Turtle]

Does Sony really have direct access to these records, or are they going to an intermediate law enforcement or legal agency?

[CeeKay]

if you're having trouble with PSN today, this could be why.  Anonymous has decided to attack because of the whole Geohot situation.

[CeeKay]

the attacks continue.  Now some of them are going after Sony execs info.

[CeeKay]

they have reached a settlement in the GeoHot case.

[Soulchilde]

thread necromancy


PS3 hacked again and maybe for good if this article