A hacker has published what he claims to be the root key of the PlayStation 3, leading to what some have speculated could be full root access to the game console without the need for external media.
The key, published by an individual calling himself or herself "geohot," is accompanied by a "hello world" piece of code.

At press time, Sony representatives said that they were still awaiting confirmation or a denial from within the company.

As gaming blog Kotaku noted, the hack may be tied to the fail0verflow group, which develops for the PS3 homebrew scene. "Homebrew" modifications to the console are akin to "rooting" a phone, where the user installs his or her own operating system, usually for the purpose of adding custom software. Doing so, however, usually voids the device's warranty.

The link for this article located at PC Magazine is no longer available.