Alright, now I am getting upset. Yes, my schedule has been busy, but not busy enough to write a blog post. I wake up on Monday, ready to do a review, and Blogger doesn't allow me to login. Nothing, nada. Wednesday was the first time I was able to log in, and here is the first post since then. Because of all this hoopla with Blogger it actually got my thoughts going on another recent outage that happened, and that's the attacks on the Playstation Network.
Now, ever since the Playstation 3 was released, there have been attempts to try and hack the system itself. There have been several ways to play burned games, but each one was eventually phased out through software updates. Unlike Sony's portable system, which is easily hacked and manipulated, it seemed that the PS3 was impenetrable.
However, things changed in January of 2010, in which George 'Geohotz' Hotz, was able to finally crack the PS3's software using the Other OS option, allowing him to play PS2 titles and install Homebrew applications. Sony responded by removing the Other OS option, which allowed users to install Linux Operating Systems onto the console.
George Hotz then began working on custom firmware for the console, however posted on his Twitter feed that he had given up trying to crack the Playstation 3. Things changed on January 2nd, 2011, when Hotz posted the Root keys of the console on his website. Sony immediately took action, forcing him to take them off of the website. Hotz complied, but began posting videos showing the system being cracked without any devices attached to the console itself.
This prompted legal action by Sony Computer Entertainment, in which they filed both a restraining order against Hotz, as well as a suit against him in order to stop hacking products they produce. It was this legal action that spawned what we have seen today with Sony.
After the suit was filed, Sony came under attack by an underground hacking group called 'Anonymous'. They began their attack on the Playstation Network itself, but gave up quickly, realizing that the only person they were hurting with their hack was the consumers. It caused some slowdown in gameplay, but nothing too severe.
However, days after their attacks ended, Sony came under a much larger attack, one that saw the theft of 77 million users' personal information. This attack became the largest theft in the history of business, and certainly is cause for speculation. Ever since the beginning of that attack, other systems of Sony have come under attack globally.
To speculate that these attacks are connected is a theory, but one that probably holds true. But the reasons for the original attack, as well as the homebrew hacking of the console by Hotz, I feel are completely stupid.
Hotz said in an interview that he believes that since he purchased the hardware, he should be able to do what he wants with it. Now, on this point, I can agree. I like to do many things with my gaming consoles as well as computer systems. But the problem is, the major thing that a custom firmware on these consoles allows is the burning and theft of video games. That's where I have an issue.
The fact that this firmware basically allows the PS3 to function totally like a computer is irrelevant, since most people who own gaming consoles have a computer in their homes or have access to one. Buying a gaming console with internet just for that console is redundant, so it would make sense to have computer hardware somewhere in the home.
To fight for the fact that you want to basically commit theft is an idiotic reason. Sony has every right to limit the ability for someone to steal software using their system. Game companies spend millions of dollars to produce titles for people to play and enjoy, and while 1 person's 60 dollars won't matter, if 100 people stole that same game, that price starts to add up.
Because of these constant attacks, Sony has taken major heat in the press for allowing these major breaches into their servers. While, yes, Sony is partially to blame for not having their security as tight as it could be, people can't just throw all of the blame on them. Sony did not ask for this to happen to them. They as a company did not pick the fight. People who want to break the law in a social medium that currently has no laws in place are the ones that chose the arena. So people, as you read about what is going on, really look at what should be happening on both sides of the spectrum.
I do apologize to non-gamers that are reading this post, but this wave of attacks is just a show of how much our world is evolving. As our society grows more and more on the internet, safety and security are top priorities. But just like the real world has murderers and rapists, the digital one has hackers and thieves like anything else, trying to gain more for themselves. So please, be careful in how you act online, and what you do with your information.
Now, Monday will have our scheduled review as promised, and I am sorry for the lack of updates. I would've been online sooner, but grr at you Blogger.
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