PlayStation 3 hack - how it happened and what it means (The Guardian)

The Guardian looks at the implications of the recent PS3 hack. "Like many members of the hacker community, Fail0verflow is resolutely anti-piracy — its members bypass console security systems merely as an intellectual challenge, or to run their own operating systems and applications. Consequently, the group didn't itself reveal the key. However, days later hacker, George Hotz (also known as Geohot), previously responsible for opening the iPhone system to so-called "jailbreak" hacks, did released the required firmware package decrypter on his website. Although the current hack requires users to modify their PS3 to run homebrew apps (or use a PS3 'Jailbreak' dongle, which bypasses the security system on machines with older versions of the firmware), further developments may ensure that anyone with the relevant software tools and technical knowledge could produce applications that will run on any PS3. It would then effectively be an open system. And naturally, the floodgates that have prevented widescale piracy on the console for the last few years could be smashed to pieces."

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