14 DAY TRIAL // Sony has released an update for the firmware of its extremely popular PlayStation 3 gaming console, to block recent hacks that allowed users to execute unauthorized code on the system.
"A minor update to your PS3 system is now available via system software update v3.42 that includes additional security features," John Koller, Sony's director of hardware marketing, announced via the PlayStation blog yesterday.
Sony's approach to security is much like Apple's, meaning the company does not make a habit of discussing security fixes in detail.
However, even though there's not much information about the update, it's pretty clear that it targets the recent PSJailbreak and PSGroove hacks, which allow PS3 owners to run custom code.
By design, PS3 is a closed platform where only programs pre-approved by Sony can run, which forces developers to rely on the manufacturer to distribute their products.
For the past few weeks Sony has been trying to prevent an USB dongle dubbed PSJailbreak, which unlocks PS3 devices, from being sold in several countries.
However, while PSJailbreak is driven by financial motives, a piece of software called PSGroove that can be used to achieve the same effect has been released as an open source project.
Jailbreaking is a controversial practice, but its supporters scored a win back in July when US federal regulators ruled that jailbreaking smartphones does not violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
"[…] The activity of an iPhone owner who modifies his or her iPhone’s firmware/operating system in order to make it interoperable with an application that Apple has not approved, but that the iPhone owner wishes to run on the iPhone, fits comfortably within the four corners of fair use,” the regulators said at the time.
It's possible that DMCA exemptions could be extended in the future to also cover jailbreaking other types of devices, such as gaming consoles.