GeoHot (George Hotz) Famous iPhone and Sony Hacker Now Working at Facebook

George Hotz, also known as GeoHot, has been confirmed by Facebook as being in their employ. Hotz is best known for his engineering prowess with the iPhone and as the person who broke the cryptographic protection on Sony’s PlayStation 3 gaming console. He then published the root key on the Internet under his handle GeoHot, which dropped him into some legal hot water.

The release of the root cryptographic key for the PS3 basically broke the back of Sony’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) capability for the PlayStation 3. With the key, any developer could generate software that the PS3 would believe was signed by Sony and thus anyone could run any software on the device. DRM is a controversial mechanism used to control what can and cannot be run on any given hardware. Console manufacturers prefer it as they can use the controls to enforce license agreements, regional restrictions, and other limits to use on their consoles. Customers and consumer rights groups dislike the technology due to its tendency to fail and lock people out of their content and it’s use to artificially increase the cost of software and hardware (while decreasing the overall value.)

Recent speculation about the Sony PlayStation Network shutdown and series of hacks against their infrastructure may have been connected to their attitude about DRM infuriating hackers into lashing out at them. It’s hard to say at this point; but it is a sticking point in that community as well.

After a lengthy court battle, Hotz settled with Sony, agreeing to an injunction against publishing any further code.

Recently, Facebook decided to pick him up. According to an article on ReadWriteWeb, he’s doing quite well for himself,

Reportedly, Hotz began work at Facebook as a software engineer in May 2011 and his first day was May 9. A Facebook spokesperson has confirmed the hire but did not provide any other details regarding Hotz’ position or duties.

The news was reported by TechUnwrapped and others over the weekend, citing an interview with Chronic-Dev Team member Joshua Hill (aka “P0sixninja on Twitter). The Chronic-Dev Team, for those unaware, is a group of developers who work to release software for jailbreaking iPhones and other iOS devices.

Apparently, Hotz also announced his change of employment on his Facebook page in June.

Facebook has not officially confirmed his role in the company, only that they’ve hired him. However, being that Hotz happens to have shown that he excels at iOS devices, he will probably end up on a team involving iPhone and iPad apps. Social media is always looking for more ways to go mobile and being able to get the jump on their competition with engineers who have a deeper understanding of how those devices work will give them an edge.

Also, there’s news from the New York Times that Facebook has an iPad app in the oven that may be due for release in a few weeks.

In the same vein:

• Facebook Gore-Porn Account Hijacking Epidemic Reaches a Fever Pitch
• Anonymous Allegedly Leaks 1.7 GB U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics Data
• The Pirate Bay and Wikileaks Undergo Massive DDoS Attack from Unknown Source
• NASA, Air Force, Harvard Compromised by Hacker Crew ‘The Unknowns’
• LulzSec Leaked VMware Code Raises Concerns and Implications
• Ben Horowitz and Dalton Caldwell Speak Out on NYT Instagram Post