PlayStation 3 Jailbreak was the first USB (Universal Serial Bus) chipset that allowed unauthorized execution of code, similar to homebrew, on the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

. It works by bypassing a system security check using a memory exploit (

heap overflow A heap overflow, heap overrun, or heap smashing is a type of buffer overflow that occurs in the heap data area. Heap overflows are exploitable in a different manner to that of stack-based overflows. Memory on the heap is dynamically allocated at ...

) which occurs with USB devices that allows the execution of

unsigned code Code signing is the process of digitally signing executables and scripts to confirm the software author and guarantee that the code has not been altered or corrupted since it was signed. The process employs the use of a cryptographic hash to v ...

Present and future support

In August 2011, information about hardware that was downgrading PlayStations on system software v3.70 was being released.

Legality

Sony had taken a few steps to prevent the jailbreak of the PlayStation 3, and has associated the action as a form of

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, ...

. In eastern European countries, no action has ever been taken to condemn such cases. The cases listed below are lawsuits Sony filed in courts to prohibit the sales and imports of circumvention devices that would jailbreak the system. *PS3 Jailbreak was outlawed in Australia as it was considered to be in violation of copyright law. The ban states that PS Jailbreak cannot be imported, distributed to another person or offered to the public. *Sony lost a lawsuit in December 2010 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

against the seller of PS Jailbreak. The sales and imports of the product were therefore deemed legal to use within

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, and Sony were ordered to pay damages for trying to block the sales and imports. *In January 2011, Sony had filed a lawsuit against George Hotz for leaking the encryption keys for the PlayStation 3. The case was settled in April of that year, where Hotz agreed to a permanent injunction to never circumvent a Sony product again. The Court had also approved that Sony's lawyers could obtain the IP addresses of anyone who visited Hotz's website.

References

{{Embedded systems Hardware restrictions

Jailbreak A prison escape (referred as a bust out, breakout, jailbreak, or prison break) is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture t ...

Video game hardware

Present and future support

Legality

See also

References