New Exploit Allows PS3 Hackers to Unban Themselves and Ban Others

Sony's recent banning spree on the PlayStation Network can easily be undone by hackers, as a new exploit has reportedly appeared, which allows them to unban their consoles and even ban other devices and users.

Sony has begun fighting back against hackers who took advantage of exploits on its platform and ran custom firmware versions that enabled piracy and homebrew applications.

As such, the company has been sending emails to PlayStation Network users in which it demands that they stop using unlicensed software and third-party accessories, or risk being banned from the PlayStation Network.

Now, it seems that a new exploit has been uncovered, which allows hackers to practically avoid any bans from Sony itself.

The hack can be used to unban any console, as well as ban other devices remotely, without going through Sony's own servers.

Before you start worrying that your PlayStation 3 may be banned by hackers, the exploit does require the console's unique ID number, which can only be obtained from licensed repair services or from the actual owners.

The hackers that uncovered this exploit justify its use in order to allow regular users, who want homebrew apps and other such features on their PS3, to protect themselves from Sony's abusive tactics.

The report of this hack, which arrived from Destructoid, is still a bit shaky, but we might hear more about the exploit in the following weeks.

Until then, expect Sony to continue its banning spree against hackers and even take legal action against those who uncovered the PlayStation 3's master decryption key and have been publishing custom firmware editions onto the web.

The company is motivating the actions based on its terms of service and end-user license agreement, which prohibits PS3 owners from installing any type of software that hasn't been verified and approved by Sony itself on the device.

Hackers, on the other hand, are basing their own actions on the fact that Sony is too restrictive and is pulling out features from the PS3, like Linux support, thus cheating on its customers.