It should go without saying, but those running a custom firmware on PS3 should exercise caution before connecting to PSN. Sony has issued a warning that it has begun banning accounts and console IDs tied to modding activities. In fact, CFW users as well as those running applications that bypass certain PSN authentication checks like “F*ckPSN” are already receiving the boot. Some users have reported seeing the following message identified by the error code 8002A231 upon PSN sign-in:

PlayStation Customer: Notice: Unauthorised or pirated software has been detected on your PlayStation 3 system. This use has violated the terms of both the “System Software License Agreement for the PlayStation 3 System” and the “Terms of Services and User Agreement” for the PlayStation Network/Sony Network Services and its Community Code of Conduct provisions.

As a result, your Sony Entertainment Network account has been permanently banned and access to PlayStation Network and Sony Entertainment Network services through your PlayStation 3 system has been terminated permanently.

A notice posted on Sony’s official site goes on to explain, “To avoid permanent termination, consumers must immediately cease using and delete all unauthorized or pirated software from their PlayStation®3 systems.”

Indeed, allowing CFW users online runs the risk of allowing cheaters to ruin the gameplay experience for others, so Sony’s swift response on this matter comes as hardly surprising. While we may see the rise of workarounds to make detection more difficult, it’s always going to be a game of cat and mouse. The safest approach would be to buy a second unit for CFW purposes and leave it disconnected from PSN.

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