Reports are pouring in from all over the web that firmware update 3.56 might be a little more than just a ‘small security update.’ GamersMint is reporting that they have already uncovered some of what 3.56 is really meant to do, or to be more precise, what it’s meant to stop.
They’re saying that firmware 3.56 fixes the ‘ECDSA signature bug’ and renders all the ‘private keys’ that people were using to install custom firmware and go online, useless. In case you’re thinking that it’s possible to just downgrade the firmware to a lower version like before, Sony may have covered that base too.
They went on to say that it is now impossible to downgrade your firmware after you’ve updated to 3.56, without new hardware.
So, assuming that’s true, it seems like the preventative measures are in place, but what about those who have already installed custom firmware and are playing on hacked consoles? Here comes the banhammer. Again, this is all unconfirmed by anyone here at TSA or by Sony themselves, but it looks like Sony now has a way of detecting these consoles when you attempt to access the PlayStation Network or update to 3.56.
Not only is GamersMint reporting that console bans are now in full swing, but a quick trip over to the Call of Duty: Black Ops forums is revealing the same result. There are a ton of posts going up about users being completely banned from the PlayStation Network. Not just their profiles, either, but the entire console. And not just for custom firmware that may or may not just be used for homebrew, but for hacking stats in-game as well.
Now, of course, about 95% of these ban-hammer victims are completely innocent and don’t even know what the word ‘hacked’ means, nor how it could have possibly happened to their console without them knowing, but a few have stepped up and openly discussed their previous mischief.
The main explanation among these folks is that they had a profile on their console that had been used for hacking before now. Multiple users have reported that it wasn’t even the hacked profile they were signing in with when they were banned. It seems if your console has ever been used to hack and/or mod within a game, regardless of what profile was used when doing it, you may be the recipient of a console ban.
Of course, there are also sites out there claiming that 3.56 has already been hacked and that they’re already back up and running on the PlayStation Network, but you should take that with the exact same grain of salt as everything else in this article.
To clarify one more time, this all stems from rumour and unconfirmed reports. No one here at TSA has any first hand knowledge of what has happened, nor has Sony confirmed that a mass ban has taken place. This will likely be a hot topic over the next few days and more information is sure to filter in, so stay tuned.
Source: GamersMint – Black Ops forums
Erroneus
And looks like they are having problems creating custom firmwares running 3.56, yay. But I don’t think this will hold up for long, but you can only hope Sony still can detect them.
mcphatty
Well at least their consoles still turn on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally against cheating and piracy, but I also believe remote bricking is wrong.
Grey_Ghost13
Agree mcphatty, but at least this keeps them off the PSN and ruining the online experience for the rest of us!
ericzap
They should be remotely be able to remove PSN features through some sort of hardware killswitch, not just firmware. Make them squirm.
Foxhound_Solid
‘Excellente’ if its true!
Crush those Pirate MoFos
shields_t
I’m pleased to hear this, given how Microsoft have recently reacted to pirates it is good to see Sony showing a little backbone.
BIGAL-1992
If this is true, good.
jayjay119
This is excellent news, if it is true, which I hope it is. I knew Sony would find some way around it eventually, and in fact they have stepped up to the plate quicker than I expected to be honest. I’m actually taking a slightly sadistic pleasure in the retroactive banning also, its’ the perfect deterrent. Do not hack, no matter when you do it or using what profile , you will be found out and banned. Lovely!
Steve
Excellent news, I really hope this is true! The rat race with hackers won’t stop here, but I am glad Sony has taken action quickly
solidsteven
I feel really sorry for Sony’s customer services. They are going to have a lot of hackers trying to get them to unbrick their console. This is basically a massive eff you to hackers and should put others off from hacking. I bet all the hackers are whining that Sony banned their console for using custom firmware.Now hopefully this will put a big dent in the hackers plans as i don’t want to see all major games get hacked and become unplayable.
Grey_Ghost13
If I were Sony, I would get Customer Services to issue a statement like, “if your console has been banned then please send us the console so we can un-ban it, this can only be done at our head office” :) then Sony can confirm if the console has been hacked or not!
MadJunkBoy
i really hope its true=) ban the hackers and cheaters!!!
hate cheaters and hackers!!
is this were the killswitch comes into the picture?? =)