The breakthroughs came from a group of hackers known as fail0verflow, and George Hotz, who originally gained notoriety for jailbreaking the iPhone. Speaking at a hacker conference in Berlin last month, fail0verflow members pointed out flaws with the PS3's security and explained a method that could be used to determine security keys, numbers that tell the system a given bit of code has been approved by Sony to run on the console.

That was followed shortly by Hotz discovering and disseminating the system's master key. While Hotz had previously used an exploit with the system's OtherOS feature to run unauthorized software on the PS3 (an exploit that was addressed when Sony removed the feature from the system), the release of the master key causes problems that aren't easily fixed with a firmware update.

"The complete console is compromised - there is no recovery from this," a member of fail0verflow going by the handle pytey told the BBC, saying that the only way for Sony to fix the problem would be in future hardware iterations of the PS3. He added that Sony's removal of the OtherOS option from the PS3 Slim drew the hacking community's attention, and the firmware upgrade to take the feature out of the original model PS3s outright antagonized them, making the previously secure system a target for hackers.

Neither fail0verflow nor Hotz condones piracy, but they all acknowledge that it will be a likely outcome of their recent breakthroughs. As of press time, Sony had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment.

Source - [GameSpot AU]

So in trying to prevent Piracy, they drew the attention of the wrong people , and now are going to get pillaged.

Can't every electronic device get hacked in some way?

I'm sure they can, but not every manufacturer goes on about how secure it is, or removes functions people enjoyed to ensure that security. OtherOS was a great idea.

No one buys a console based on how secure it is. That thought never even entered my mind when I decided to get any console, ever.

Sony stated, "It was fully intended that you, a PS3 owner, could play games, watch movies, view photos, listen to music, and run a full-featured Linux operating system that transforms your PS3 into a home computer."

Yeah, I'm surprised that it's take this long really. However, I'm fully against Sony's tactics. I was pretty upset when they did away with OtherOS. Right about the same time I bought my system. Crappy way to do protection. Besides, its taken this long more due to a lack of effort than anything. I won't go into detail, but there are good points as to why pirates never bothered trying that hard.

For the record.

I FULLY believe that Sony does more than any other console manufacturer in the fight against hacking/infiltrating the system OS.

The proof is in the downloads/updates. Every PS owner can attest to that. It takes hours to download and install. Any hacker wouldn't even have time to USE their system let alone hack it because of the downloads/updates.

So yeah, at least Sony is trying unlike Microsoft and their stupid jtag'ed Xboxes. *sighs*

Nothing is hackproof...

The job is just trying to minimize points of entry.

So, looks like the Court has been brought in. Sony is demanding the code be removed from the Net, among other things. May have a chance prosecuting the hacker, but good luck removing anything from the internet:

http://feeds.wired.c...~3/dc2gUFJmuWQ/

So, looks like the Court has been brought in. Sony is demanding the code be removed from the Net, among other things. May have a chance prosecuting the hacker, but good luck removing anything from the internet:

http://feeds.wired.c...~3/dc2gUFJmuWQ/

See my post above about how I feel that Sony honestly tries harder than every other console maker to abolish stuff like this. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but Sony DOES take a hardline stance and continually releases new patches to upgrade their system (much to the dismay of many PS3 owners like myself who are forced to sit through 20-45 minutes download and installs every time)

Microsoft on the other hand sits on the sideline. They are only concerned about teh monies and only teh monies.

MS: "Huh? New JTag software is out on the internet less than a week after we JUST had our once a year Fall Update which had new countermeasures to stop piracy and hacking? Crap....

.... Ok. Moving on.

So who has the next idea for an Avatar Pet on the XBLM? I know thousands of suckers will buy it!!!"

It's good practice for MS. They understand the futility of pursuing methods to stop it. Someone will always find a way around, and they get that. They take down systems that use the hacks when they can, but the people targeting the systems is just too many with too much time invested. Why should they lose more money trying so hard to stop something when they can make more by spending time on other things.

Oh, I'm not saying that they're wrong with it, but the Jerry McGuire picture above is appropriate. LoL

I was pretty upset when they did away with OtherOS. Right about the same time I bought my system.

Same here. ):

my roommate has been hacking the ps3 for a long time, think last time i went into his room he was copying entire games to it. honestly i cant think of anything he hasnt hacked into, just sony alone he has done the ps2, the psp, and the ps3. not that he is the one thinking of stuff like this but just goes to show you that its easy to find and do once one person sits down with it

Really interesting reading this thread that dates back to January. "The complete console is compromised - there is no recovery from this," a member of fail0verflow going by the handle pytey told the BBC, saying that the only way for Sony to fix the problem would be in future hardware iterations of the PS3."

How quickly things can change. Just wondering now, if that hacker was correct. Is it completely compromised? Is it a patch job they're doing, or will it be secure?

They can't secure it. Once they have the masterkey which is used, every other attempt is going to be easy to hack around by comparison.

The master key was the core of the security of the entire system from my understanding of it. My little brother has been following it closely.

Literally nothing Sony can do except release a new console.

And yes everything can be hacked, all it takes is time. If something encrypted can be decrypted, it can be hacked. All you need is time and processing power. The intelligent guys, come up with short cut algorithms that get down the hack time significantly or else are getting information leaked from the Playstation divison of Sony.

Either way, its impossible to protect your system and to announce it as hack proof really does just make you a target to these hacking groups.

Oh and just everyone knows why Sony were fine with removing other OS. It was never supposed to be a feature. Never was one they care about. The only reason they added it and advertised it was to get around EU tax laws. Pc's are not subject to as much tax as games consoles when being imported into the EU. Sony tried this the PS2 but the EU told them their efforts weren't good enough and that the console was clearly a console first and they weren't promoting it was a Pc so could not claim it was a Pc.

That is why Sony advertised the feature. That is why they had no problem removing it over piracy concerns. They had already gotten round the tax laws so they pulled it. I think they should be charged back tax on all the consoles sold that now don't have the other OS feature.

Interesting... didn't know that PC's would have a lower tax rate. Smart... low, but smart.