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PlayStation 3 update targets hardware hacks | |
(40 minutes later) | |
Sony has closed a loophole that allowed users to run software that enables pirated games to be played on the PS3 console. | Sony has closed a loophole that allowed users to run software that enables pirated games to be played on the PS3 console. |
The update blocks the PSJailbreak and PSGroove applications. | The update blocks the PSJailbreak and PSGroove applications. |
Mathieu Hervais, one of the developers behind PSGroove, told BBC News that it was "safer not to update" if users wished to continue using the hacks. | Mathieu Hervais, one of the developers behind PSGroove, told BBC News that it was "safer not to update" if users wished to continue using the hacks. |
Sony won a court order in early September banning the distribution of the PSJailbreak dongle. | Sony won a court order in early September banning the distribution of the PSJailbreak dongle. |
The update is the latest step in Sony's ongoing battle against the commercial dongle - PS Jailbreak - that allows users to play pirated software. It also targets open source code, known as PSGroove, which allows homemade games to be played on the console. | |
While the PSGroove software was not originally intended to allow the playing of pirated games, as PSJailbreak does, it has already been modified by other hackers to permit the practice. | While the PSGroove software was not originally intended to allow the playing of pirated games, as PSJailbreak does, it has already been modified by other hackers to permit the practice. |
Mixed response | |
It is the continuation of a cat-and-mouse game between hackers and the electronics giant, which started when PSJailbreak first appeared for sale on website. | |
The USB dongle was the first hardware hack of Sony's secure games console. | |
Sony has since obtained a court injunction preventing the distribution of the PSJailbreak dongle in Australia. | |
The firm has also filed a US lawsuit against Zoomba, a firm that runs a site selling the device. Distributors in the Netherlands have also told the BBC that they have received court documents banning the sale of the dongles. | |
However, Sony has now decided to tackle the problem head-on by releasing a software update for the consoles that block the hacks. | |
The new patch received a mixed reception from the gaming community, with some users praising Sony for its prompt action, while others were more critical. | The new patch received a mixed reception from the gaming community, with some users praising Sony for its prompt action, while others were more critical. |
"Every time there is an update, it's a security patch I don't care about," wrote one. | "Every time there is an update, it's a security patch I don't care about," wrote one. |
"Give me something that will keep me occupied like more visuals on the music player, a way to delete trophies for a game I don't have anymore, backward compatibility for PS2 games, better video chat. | "Give me something that will keep me occupied like more visuals on the music player, a way to delete trophies for a game I don't have anymore, backward compatibility for PS2 games, better video chat. |
"You guys don't take to many suggestions from your players. If you listen, I mean really listen, to the ideas you will be top," they added. | "You guys don't take to many suggestions from your players. If you listen, I mean really listen, to the ideas you will be top," they added. |
Mr Hervais told BBC News that it did yet know how Sony fixed the security flaw. | Mr Hervais told BBC News that it did yet know how Sony fixed the security flaw. |
Sony declined to comment on the specifics of the update, but a spokesman told BBC News: "Since this is an overall security related issue, we will not be providing further commentary to this case. | Sony declined to comment on the specifics of the update, but a spokesman told BBC News: "Since this is an overall security related issue, we will not be providing further commentary to this case. |
"But as we always have, we will continue to take necessary actions to both hardware and software to protect the intellectual content provided on the PlayStation 3." |
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