Sony enlists help to fight mounting Anonymous attacks

First of all when you buy a ps3 (or almost anything really) with your hard earned money, you cannot do whatever you want with it (legally of course). Legally you agreed to Sony's terms of agreement on the product. You can play it(yes). You can watch stuff on it(yes) and a bunch of other things not related to hacking, and in a sense hacking is not so bad. Sad thing is you are actually limited to those kinds of things, which is not really morally bad: if you don't like sony's terms buy another console, oh but wait Microsoft, Nintendo, Apple and most other corporations have the same terms, drat. If you want to buy the rights to the ps3 to do whatever you want with it, be my guest (shell out billions of dollars) which is to purchase it from sony. Capitalism works this way. Corporation A earns profit, pays employees their wage etc etc and this works well enough. So I want you to define greed. Imagine a man in his 40's, he is pretty rich, he's hardworking and overall just like a normal dude. That could be the COO/CEO of sony. Not everyone who works at a corporation can be evil, that would be statistically improbable. We live in a world dependent on corporations, now think of all of them. Intel, Nvidia, ATi, ASUS, ACER, WD, SEAGATE, GOOGLE, YAHOO, MICROSOFT, SONY, NINTENDO, APPLE, PROCTER AND GAMBLE, FACEBOOK to name a few of more than a billion corporations and companies. In this particular case all of them would have done the same thing. Is sony an evil company? I don't know. Are they greedy? I don't know. Are they ripping us off? Maybe, I don't know, but I do know that it made perfect sense for them to try and protect their brand and product, maybe they could have handled it better though. Now what exactly did Mr.Geohotz do? Well he released a code on the internet that would (eventually) let people play any game for free. Games that were developed by the Game developers (Insomniac, Epic Games etc) sold to us consumers to play. That would eventually cripple profits from game developers, not necessarily sony (except first party stuff). That disrupts the chain a large chain that I would not care to further explain. (it's probably in wikipedia or something) In the end this battle would not have accomplished anything. If you follow anonymous movements throughout the years, they did a lot of good stuff trying to protect consumer rights, but in this case they maybe misguided. @bengimon85 really? screaming Xbox 360 for life? well it's kinda true anyway what with me still waiting for bungie's next thing, oh wait it's gonna be multi plat oh well. Anyway Microsoft did not beef up security, well actually they did but that did not solve anything. What they did was prevent people with modded(to play bootlegs) Xbox's to go online. Which is kinda what Sony's doing plus banning your psn so it's mostly the same. Most ps3 people are actually proud their console was piracy free for so many years and it seemed like a new turn for the industry, too late for that. Still, spreading information? Really and you had to chose the one piece of information that would start rampant piracy on a console. I mean isn't this what we are all about? Playing video games. What I cherish because of all the things I've learned from it? What I cherish because of the countless UNIQUE stories I have INTERACTIVELY EXPERIENCED. I cherish this medium because of how it out paces all other forms of entertainment in terms of evolution and revolution. Of how fast it is growing into its own, into something better, into something that Can and Will rival all other mediums in an effective capacity. We cherish this medium because of us, because of our tight knit community. Because of the special bond we have like the bond of musicians to other musicians like book readers to other book readers and I want to keep it this way. I hope all this bull $h3t ends. Because we are the GAMING INDUSTRY F*ck Yeah! Amen Mother F#ck3s! GAMESRADAR FTW! (Cough* cough* sorry drank too much rootbeer)

How is it okay that he hands out information freely over the internet about illegal usage of a product on how to get illegal stuff? @BellaKazza I'm fine with the idea that he enjoys hacking, it's really interesting seeing the intricacies of how stuff works, but when it deals with stealing from a company, it's not right, and you and Sony and everyone else knows it's gonna be used mainly unlawfully. Shut the hell up, 360 fanboys, I'm a Sony fan, but I've enjoyed quite a few 360 games with my friends, and I know you people would be screaming bloody murder at them if something like this happened to you. So support your fellow gamers, this isn't about which company is better or bringing down another, it's about a group that brought down an entire online system of gamers that are enjoying the SAME GAMES that 360 gamers do every day, and it shouldn't be happening. Sony may not be doing everything right, but an attack against gamers is just wrong when they had nothing to do with this mess. Anonymous, please stop the madness, you aren't helping defend anybody when you attack everything.

My PS3 does nothing but collect dust. My reason for not giving a shit if sony gets raped by anonymous.

@mentalityljs So you are basicly saying that I can mod my console but I have to hide it and not show anyone how to do it? Hotz did what he loved and showed everybody else how to do it too. People are going to use that infomation to do something unlawful, IT HAPPENS, But some people will also use that infomation to do good. It's not exploitation or irresponsible, He gave useful infomation to evryone, It's not going to hurt the game industry, Just Sony, Maybe. I'm no hypocrite.

@ to every 360 fanboy who posted If Sony loses, we gamers will lose also. With out Sony, Microsoft would have no one to compete hardcore games with and your precious live membership would go way up by $150 or $200 or more. So you got to ask yourself, Sony wins and everything normal or Have a gamer world that have EC rated games and $200 additional for online but no Sony. One last thing when Sony dies, Microsoft will be next.

@ Dintin You should look up the definition of SCEA before you start bringing culture and race into the mix. A an international issue dude. and @ BellaKazza I agree with half of what you're saying. We payed for it, we should be able to do with it as we please, I GET that. But what Mr. Fag Hotz did was not just spread information. He provided ANYONE and EVERYONE who came across his site with the knowledge and ability to hack, crack, and pirate anything they want on their PS3. That's not just "spreading" information. That called exploiting and being irresponsible. So what you're telling me is that you think it's perfectly OK for someone (Hotz) to give a homicidal maniac (hackers) a knife (hack) in a room full of people (PS3/gaming industry), just so long as it doesn't happen to you (360) or in your own country (system of choice)? Hypocrits.

This is the worst thing Anonymous has done. Why? Because it hurts the people that have nothing to do with it. They're just being five year olds who think they're so elite and "leejun".

lol @ bengimon85 who's the fanboy now? I can assure you that I have no interest in Sony's legal defense against the culprits. My interest is more personal. A lot of you seem to be on a high horse claiming that us "Fanboys" don't know what we're talking about. That may be true, however, with the exception of some. While it may seem us "fanboys" are upset due to the fact that it's a matter concerning our beloved PS3's, it's more obvious that YOU don't know what the hell you're talking about by simply spamming a PS3 article! YOU fail to see the bigger picture. YOU fail to see this matter in the long-term. And just because you don't own a PS3 doesn't mean the outcome of this battle, whether good or bad, isn't going to affect your future as a gamer. This is WHY I said in my previous post to grow the fuck up. Put all the fanboy shit and differences aside and for once protect the GAMING industry, not the modding and hacking industry.

@Xephimost Because it clearly generates site traffic, which generates ad revenue, which allows awesome sites like GamesRadar to stay afloat. Not to mention this is a real issue affecting the gaming public and it would be counter to their occupation to not report on something like this. @Ferethi If you think the beef people have with large corporations is just some "neo-socialist" bullshit, you need to pay more attention. Many large corporations exploit their consumers, their working class employees, and the judiciary system to maximize profits under the guise of capitalist thought. Whether or not Sony is a "diabolical" corporation or not is an entirely different debate (with which I'm not very well informed), but the issue goes beyond simple piracy and wanting things for free. It's all about consumer rights. Unfortunately, Anonymous doesn't seem to mind hurting the consumer to uphold these rights. And if you do reply, please don't just fire back and act all offended, because I'm well aware I don't know who you are or what you stand for. I mean you no ill-will, I'm just an idle spectator.

only 3 people in this thread know what they are talking about, the rest are just sony fanboys XBOX 360 FOR LIFE!!!!!

Seriously? This website is for gamers. This is our passion. I understand that some good can come out of hacking. More of a learning tool for developers. But this issue affects ALL gamers, not just SONY. Yet half of you are supporting these hackers? Down with the system you say? Jesus, I have an anarchy symbol tattooed on my damn WRIST for fucks sake. But i'm not gonna allow a group of people gain my sympathy over such an egotistical, immature agenda. Seriously people, if u care at all about the integrity and longevity of the gaming industry, then grow the fuck up!

@PimplesInYourAsstista your another of the countless amount of "robots" replying to something you know nothing about, they arent attacking sony for making such a shit console, its because Sony took a tantrum and decided to taddle on hackers to the big daddy. Xbox 360 has been hacked for years, what did microsoft do? made stuff harder to hack, thats all sony had to do, but no they start to blame the hackers for shit console and game sales. BRING DOWN SONY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I might have been a bit harsh above--maybe they all have quite fulfilling sex lives--but it just seems like there are more important things than this going on in the world now.

I think hackers should go to hell; if theyre complaining about a certain system, why dont they make their own?

Really, Dintin? Bashing the Japanese? Come on man, you can do better than that, I'm sure of it. Anyways, all I have to say about Anonymous is that they need to stop. Corporations are greedy. Get over it. They wouldn't be worth billions of dollars if they weren't greedy at all. Activision, Sony, Microsoft, they're all greedy. We live in a capitalist world. Everything revolves around money and Sony is actually being amazingly generous to offer online services for free. When that gets messed with. When something that SONY is paying for out of their own pockets to give to us, you don't mess with it. I don't care about your hurt feelings Geo and Anonymous. Lay off. That is all there is to it. No "if"s, no "but"s just lay off.

Its a sad day for humanity every time these guys believe they are fighting some kind of Holy War.

@Fillet: GeoHot didn't break "the law." There's no law that says you cannot modify what is rightfully yours. That's the issue here. And good on Anon for defending him; Sony and companies like them have slowly been taking away our rights as consumers. It's time somebody noticed and made a point. I love the argument being made that Anon are hurting "gamers," like being a gamer deserves special recognition and respect. It isn't a title. Gaming is just something we do. It is stupid to assume they're trying to protect "gamers." Anon are taking a stand on our rights as consumers to do what we want with the technology we legally purchase with our money. Whether or not you are a hacker, or can appreciate what they're doing, doesn't matter. This is a more pressing matter than losing online multiplayer for a couple of days. Relax.

I guess these hackers are compensating for the fact they never get laid. "Dear Sony, We feel really bad about what happened to your country and all the hurt and suffering the Japanese are enduring. But what's really important in the wake of such a tragedy is that we teach you a lesson about messing with us. Sincerely, Anonymous"

It kinda seems like Anonymous has missed the point of "V for Vendetta" but like 500 thousand miles on this one. I get the whole, its my property, I should be able to do whatever I want with it, but this isn't over that at all. The OTHER OS option was removed a year ago, this attack has nothing to do with that. As far as Geohotz is concerned, I am not standing on Sony's side saying they are the nicest people or anything, and I completely support the freedom to mess around with YOUR OWN device all you want, but thats not what happened, he released the crack so anyone can use it. thats a whole different issue. If you are smart enough to hack the system, good for you, but anyone else who isn't smart enough now has complete access, which means piracy. This lawsuit isn't about geohutz cracking the system, its about him releasing the crack so everyone can do it. Anonymous getting involved in this is the exact definition of contradiction, based on what they stand for. this isn't standing up for what is right ( or what you believe is right), this is about bullying and showing that you can in fact fuck with people. the conclusion of all this: too much power will go to anyones head, no matter how unknown they are.

Oh my god, they took down PSN. Now we can only play our games in single player, and we miss out on our only possible outlet for social interaction. I think I might cry. @ChickenFillet5140 U mad bro? @Markstone Dude, this will last for (maybe) a few days, a week if Anon wants to keep PSN down and they do everything perfectly. Or you can lay down and continue to savor the taste of Sony Corp's cum; How's it taste? Is it salty? Does it taste of repression? Sony is being way too overbearing about their precious hardware, but what can one expect? They're from a country where it's practically impossible for women to get jobs, and molesting them on a subway train is the same as good morning. A country so repressed they have to smash shit just to prevent themselves from killing everyone around them. The cause of this problem isn't that Sony execs are greedy it's that they're from a society where human life has become devalued, to an extent. To sum it up, I blame Japanese culture for Sony's warped sense of what is and is not acceptable.