With all the recent news about the PlayStation 3 being hacked, Sony is no doubt anxious to plug the holes and secure the system software once more. Sony recently spoke to UK Magazine EDGE in connection with the recent hacks, stating they are aware of the issue and investigating.
Sony said:
We are aware of this, and are currently looking into it.
We will fix the issues through network updates, but because this is a security issue, we are not able to provide you with any more details.
It has also come into light that Sony has the ability to disable a PS3 remotely, according to an article by Digital Foundry. Digital Foundry states that:
The amount of access Sony has to your machine is greater than you probably suspect: the company even has the means to irrevocably disable your console should it so wish, and if that happens, it will remain non-functional whether you’re online or offline.
However, despite the options Sony has available, to date there have been no ban waves that we’ve been aware of, despite Jailbroken consoles being easily detectable. Sony’s approach has been very responsible – issuing security updates via new firmwares that automatically lock Jailbreakers out of the PlayStation Network as opposed to issuing outright bans. Sony effectively offers PS3 jailbreakers the opportunity to “go legit” in order to preserve their PSN access.
Whetherthe ‘kill switch’ (as it is know) actually exists remains to be seen.