Sony got itself in a pickle yesterday. The hacker renowned for jail-breaking the iPhone managed to figure out the the security key that Sony is using for its PS3 authentication. This also turns out to be the sole key for all code signing, games and PSN — the whole nine yards. Now people can make their own homebrew software and sign it, and the PS3 will accept it as legit. Obviously the first thought that comes to mind would be for them to change the key, but that would render all old titles incompatible. Sony issued a cease and desist order to the hacker but managed to foul that up by not signing all the documents, so none of it has any legal standing. By filing paperwork in court, Sony then also listed all security keys, making them a matter of the public record. Way to go ...

A Carnegie Mellon University Computer Science professor exercised his free speech and put up a mirror of the entire ordeal, daring Sony to take action.