Relentless hackers jailbreak latest PS3 firmware

It looks like Sony will needto apply alittle more elbow grease to stop unauthorized modding of the PS3. Even though its latest firmware was supposed to make the system completely immune to "jailbreak" attempts, hackers have managed to break through it anyway.

The team behindPS Jailbreak, a company dedicated to overriding the PS3's security controls, has found a way to revert the firmware of any PS3 unit that has the latest firmware installed, removing jailbreaking restrictions.

PS Jailbreak's notorious USB stick, which completely destroys several PS3 security checks when inserted into one of the system's USB slots, became an immediate focus for Sony earlier this year. Sony has been cracking down hard on hackers, with recent firmware upgrades disabling unlicensed accessories and making it nearly impossible to do anything the console isn't specifically authorized to do.

Jailbreaking is a serious concern for Sony, because once a PS3 system is hacked it can run pirated software, create illegal copies of games and media files, and use components that aren't licensed by Sony.

There's no doubt Sony will be looking at exactly how this latest device reverts a PS3's software, and will work on a fix to it in the next firmware update. But, of course, it's likely that another workaround will be found... because it always is.

Nov 15, 2010

PS3 firmware 3.42 to stomp all over PS Jailbreak piracy? Probably. For a bit, anyway...
We knew it wouldn't take long, but how long will it last?