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Feds Using PlayStation 3 to Catch Predators

by Amar Toor on November 18, 2009 at 01:40 PM

While the PlayStation 3 is often the object of crime, police authorities are now using the device as a means to fight ne'er-do-wells, too.

When trying to track down the cyber footprints of a criminal, federal authorities typically use a complex and expensive system of computers to crack open a suspect's password-protected files. Now, however, according to Kotaku, agents have discovered that they can do the same thing by networking a group of PS3 consoles together -- at a fraction of the cost. And as it turns out, all the processing power that goes into producing those complex graphics is perfectly suited for cracking passwords. And though any gaming console can fill the same function, authorities have chosen the PS3 in particular because it allows them to use Linux, an open-source operating system. (Tragically, the newest PS3 Slim doesn't allow open-source systems, although police have turned to eBay to troll for older versions.)

So while you're spending hours on the couch playing 'Grand Theft Auto,' your PS3 could be helping keep child pornographers off the Internet instead. Just sayin'... [From: Kotaku, via: Geek Sugar]

Tags: hack, police, ps3, top, videogames

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