A code-sharing site popular with programmers has removed files relating to the recent key-level hack of the PS3 after receiving a Digital Millennium Copyright Act request from Sony.
Github took down seven custom firmware files shared by three different users after
a notice from Sony stating the company had a "good faith belief [that] the files circumvent effective access controls and/or copyright protection measures."
Sony's takedown notice, dated January 27, came just a day before a judge
granted a temporary restraining order against one of the hackers responsible for first publicizing the details of how to circumvent the PS3's security keys.
The move shows Sony is working aggressively to limit the availability of information regarding the hack to the general public. Still, general information about the hack is still widely available across the internet, and even the specific files removed by Github have already been reposted elsewhere on the web.
In any case, it may be too late for Sony to fully limit the damage done by the hack. Earlier this month, Infinity Ward warned players using the PS3 versions of its
Modern Warfare games that there was no quick fix for hacked servers that had the potential to erase players' accumulated stats or grant players unfair in-game advantages.
"Games rely on the security of the encryption on the platforms they're played on," Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling said. "Therefore, updates to the game through patches will not resolve this problem completely, unless the security exploit itself is resolved on the platform."
In
an interview with G4TV earlier this month, George "Geohot" Hotz said he "was working on this to try to enable homebrew [on the PS3] without enabling things I do not support, like piracy."
