Despite the aura of anonymity and secrecy that surrounds what they do, hackers are enjoying some uncommon attention lately. The obvious focus is George Hotz -- the outspoken hacker who became the main target of Sony's global anti-hacking, anti-piracy efforts this past January after jailbreaking the PlayStation 3 console. However, others hackers such as Alexander Egorenkov (graf_chokolo) and Waninkoko have made headlines, too. Unfortunately, the former's claim to fame is a 1 million Euro lawsuit filed by Sony after a police raid.
Another hacker with no small amount of history in the PS3 hacking scene in Mathieulh. The Frenchman sparked controversy and drew ire when he announced he found an exploit for the latest PS3 firmware - 3.60 - but would not release it.
During an interview with IThinkDifferent, Mathieulh took a shot at critics furious with his decision not to release the 3.60 exploit he alleged to have uncovered, saying "I believe the behavior is quite childish and I am not the only developer to think so."
Last week, another hacker posted a video purporting to show a retail PS3 running homebrew on the 3.60 firmware. No details on just how he did it were published, and when questioned about the video (which was removed for fear of legal repercussions) the hacker provided only vague information.
An exclusive interview with Youness Alaoui, better known as KaKaRoTo, turned up scant new information on the video.
Alaoui divulged that he had also spoken to the people behind it, but refused to speak on its legitimacy. "All I can say is that they said they would never release it, so whether it’s fake or not has no importance, since in the end no one will have access to it," Alaoui said. "A solution for 3.60+ will be available soon, so no worries — people just need to be patient."
Mathieulh, while hesitant to share his PS3 research, believes the result of Sony v. Hotz et al will affect far more people than the few involved directly in the case.
"I believe this legal battle is about to affect more than just the PlayStation 3 scene," he said. "This legal battle depending on the turn of events could affect future consumers of electronic products throughout at least the United States. This is a very serious legal battle and I am eager to see how it turns out.” (iTD via PS3crunch)
