We see this all the time where console makers who had had their game units hacked release new firmware versions to try and disable the hacks. Now it looks like Sony is fighting back having announced a new firmware version for the Sony PS3.
Firmware version 3.42 is considered a mandatory upgrade and according to the release notes, the new update “includes additional security features”. Sony didn’t elaborate on what this exactly means, but in the hacker community, it was quickly revealed that if you update to the latest firmware version, the PSJailbreak hack will stop working, which means that you will no longer be able to copy software titles to the console hard drives.
It’s only been a few weeks since the PSJailbreak hack was made available as a USB dongle and this was quickly followed by a number of new hacks as well as one software-only option. To counter the growing problem with hacks, Sony started with lawsuits which blocked the sale of these dongles in Australia, but this firmware update addresses the problem on a global level.
Seeing as this update is mandatory, it’s suspected that those that do not upgrade will lose their access to the PlayStation Network (PSN). The hacker community has responded to this recent news by announcing that they will find an option to circumvent the new firmware, but until they do so, upgrading to V3.42 will disable the PSJailbreak hack.
