The most recent version of Sony’s PS3 firmware was supposed to stop the epidemic of “jailbreaking” once and for all. Well, Sony, how’s that working out for you?
The team behind PS 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.
