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A hacking group calling themselves "The Three Tuskateers" have managed to retrieve the "LV0" master keys for Sony's PlayStation 3 console, master keys that could effectively render future security efforts by Sony to be entirely futile.

Since the original PS3 hack, Sony have managed to patch up security with the 3.60 firmware release, which to this day, has remained relatively secure. But this latest hack will allows hacked PS3 users to use the fully exploited 3.55 firmware release to generate new encryption keys that will allow hacked consoles to access the full range of PS3 features, including Sony's online PSN service.

In theory, this technique could allow all future firmware releases to be "hacked" with ease, and there's very little Sony can do to counter the exploit.

It is interesting to note that the "The Three Tuskateers" group never intended to release the exploit into the wild, but when it was accidentally leaked and when the Chinese group "BlueDiscCFW" planned to release the hack as a commercial package, "The Three Tuskateers" voluntarily released their work for free to prevent "for profit" use of their work.

"You can be sure that if it wouldn't have been for this leak, this key would never have seen the light of day, only the fear of our work being used by others to make money out of it has forced us to release this now," the group said via a statement.

Sony has yet to comment on this latest security breach.