The latest update seems to be holding off the hackers for now, with suggestions that it might take more than software to get around it.
Sony has released new firmware for the PS3 – version 3.56 – in an effort to patch the holes in the console’s security. Reports suggest, however, that hackers have already jumped the first hurdle in creating a cracked version of the update, just hours after its release.
There are no claims of system tweaks or behind the scenes improvements in the update, and the patch notes make it clear that this is all about security. Unfortunately for Sony, it took hackers just a few hours to unpack the files, which will allow them to see what the update is doing, and how it is doing it. It’s not all bad news though, as sources suggest that it’s proving a touch more difficult for the hackers to get around the security update then they originally expected. Anyone currently running cracked firmware is being advised not to update, and there is even suggestions that it might take a “hardware solution” to beat the beefed-up security.
In the meantime, the update seems to be doing its job. Activision’s social media guru, Dan Amrich, commented on Twitter that the update was making a lot of Call of Duty hackers very unhappy. This comes just days after Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling lamented that there was nothing that IW could do about people cheating in CoD matches until Sony fixed its leaks.
Sadly, It seems very unlikely that this is the end of Sony’s battle with hackers. Its legal victory against George Hotz, the person responsible for releasing the PS3 root key and giving Sony a massive security headache, will do almost nothing to stop people trying to crack future updates. They might not use their hacks to try and score a job, like Hotz did, but that’s probably the only real change we can expect.
Source: Ars Technica
Published: Jan 28, 2011 09:50 pm