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What Is the METLDR Root Key?

Root keys are crucial pieces of encryption code used by software programs to access hardware devices. Sony uses encryption code to prevent illegal copies of various media from being played; for instance, encryption on the PlayStation 3 ensures that only PS3 games or Blu-ray discs can be played. The PS3's METLDR root key provides access to the lowest layers of this encryption code.

PS3 Security Key
- The METLDR root key is a security key used by Sony's PlayStation 3 that protects application-loading hardware contained within the console. The METLDR key is an alphanumeric string consisting of 22 binary bits totaling 44 characters. This root key allowed a tech-savvy owner to hack his PS3 and bypass multiple layers of encryption to play pirated software through the console.
Geohot
- Geohot is the pseudonym of George Hotz, a New York City-based hacker. Sony sued Hotz in 2011 for hacking the PS3's security code, posting the METLDR root key to his website and developing an application capable of playing pirated games on the PS3. Geohot has also been linked to efforts to jailbreak Apple's iPhone, allowing the device to be used with wireless carriers other than AT&T.
Kevin Butler Tweet
- The METLDR code was widely publicized by an accidental Twitter post from the account of Kevin Butler, the fictional character from Sony's ad campaign for the PS3 "It Only Does Everything." Twitter user Travis La Marr, known by the user handle "exiva," tagged the Kevin Butler account in a post that included the METLDR code followed by the message "Come at me." The supervisor for the Kevin Butler Twitter account "TheKevinButler," not recognizing the code, retweeted the post, allowing all of TheKevinButler's Twitter followers to see the code. The post was taken down in early 2011.
Resolution
- Sony issued a statement saying that the company would address the security breach through a software patch update for the PS3. In March 2011, Sony released PS3 firmware version 3.6 that contained a security bypass for the METLDR root key, creating a new encryption system that did not rely on that specific root key to prevent a security breach.
  
  A hacking ring known as "Fail0verflow" has also been involved in attempts to hack Sony PS3's root keys. Members of this group have said that Sony's use of static root keys that don't incorporate random characters poses a security threat that requires hardware upgrades and cannot be fixed completely through a software patch.

Video Game Consoles