3)
Going Back to basics
hunter128 and unkn0wn both know how to host lobbies without Psjailbreak apparently so they both know how to get access and edit files inside Ps3. If All Hackers worked together, we could figure out how to do it from the clues that they give
Hackers are greedy, work solo, and waste their own time purely to make money. We are trough feeders, after the no.1 hackers filter the good stuff and hide it from us.
Co-operation is a nono. Unless you offer money. Even then, I wouldn't trust those slimy bastards.
As for 1)
There is an industrial hardware piece, I am pretty sure someone on NGU was selling one for just over a thousand dollars. It was stolen (or 'aquired' from a ps3 technical service station). Its what they use to unlock the system to fix software problems. This device is also what developers and bug testers use.
2)
Its illogical. Who is going to host a modded patch which gives the buyers the opportunity to steal their customers? Nobody. All the hackers that could make this 'patch_ff' infection possible will not ruin the chances of making thousands of dollars to please hundreds of thousands of people. Its just not their thing.
Good ideas, all highly unlikely.