PS3 hacker firmware 'rebug' cause of PSN outage: Speculation

Written by Matt Swider on April 25, 2011

News: As PS3 users enter the sixth day of waiting for their offline console to come back online, rumors about a custom firmware take root.

It's Monday night, April 25, and the PlayStation Network is still down, meaning we've entering into the sixth day since the outage began on April 20 or April 21 (depending on your time zone). What's even more surprising is that Sony representatives have yet to get back to members of the media, who are clamoring to find out why PSN is offline and when everyone's PS3 online capabilities will be back up. Their silence is unsettling news.

Instead of hearing from Sony, we have turned to rumors and speculation on the Internet. The latest tale to take root is about a custom PS3 firmware dubbed "Rebug." As detailed on a Reddit post by PSX-Scene moderator chesh420, this is a custom firmware by hackers that was designed to exploit the PlayStation Store.

The hacked 'Rebug' firmware, once in place, would disguise a console as a debug unit (a system that is used by developers and select members of the press). In addition to opening up a host of new system options, debug status would allow the thieves to steal online content by using fraudulent credit card numbers.

You see, the "developer PlayStation Network" is a Sony-trusted network, as chesh420 put it. Fake credit card information wouldn't be checked and he concluded his theory by saying, "What happened next was extreme piracy of PSN content. Sony realizing the issue here shut down the network."

Whether or not this is true, it's hard to say without an official statement from the suddenly mum Sony PRs. They're usually eager to talk about their games and network. We hope that tomorrow, Tuesday, April 26, brings PSN back online for good along with new security procedures in place. A response from our friends at Sony wouldn't hurt either... unless Reddit happens to be their new official spokesperson.

In the meantime, want a free game? We're giving away Homefront for PS3! Click the image below to Like us and comment!