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posted by Fnord666 on Monday January 01 2018, @02:33PM   Printer-friendly
from the built-in-hacks dept.

Nintendo Switch Kernel exploit 34c3 presentation: "Nvidia Backdoored themselves"

Yesterday, hackers Plutoo, Derrek, and Naehrwert were at the 34C3 hacking conference in Germany to give a presentation on their kernel hacks on the Nintendo Switch (video below). Hacker Yellows8 wasn't there but was also credited for some of the work that led to this presentation.

[...] They detail in particular the sm:hax exploit (which consists in skipping an initialization step for a service, which results in the service manager thinking the service has pid 0, making it root giving it additional privileges*), as well as the hardware glitching process that was used to get the Kernel decryption keys. Naehrwert also presents how he bypassed ARM's Trustzone on the Switch, a stunt he insists "is not useful for homebrew, but fun".

One of the highlights of the presentation is how the hackers leveraged the fact that the Nintendo Switch uses an "off the shelf" Nivdia Tegra X1. A GPU that is well documented, and for which debugging hardware can also be officially be acquired at reasonable prices. The X1 documentation in particular gave the hackers detailed information on how to bypass some security of the SMMU (system Memory Management Unit). "Just search for 'bypass the SMMU' in the documentation", Plutoo says. He concludes: "Nvidia Backdoored themselves".

Nintendo Switch Homebrew Launcher Could Allow Custom Software Via NVIDIA Backdoor

The one caveat to this new homebrew experience is that it is only currently validated for Nintendo Switch 3.0.0 firmware. So, if you want to take part in the festivities, you will need to stay on that firmware and resist the urge to update to a newer build.

Also at HackRead, TechRadar.

Related: The Ghost in Nintendo's Switch - Game Unlocks on the Date of Satoru Iwata's Death
Nintendo to More Than Double Production of Switch; Success Rooted in Wii U's Failure
Nintendo Sells at Least 10 Million Switch Consoles in 2017, 64 GB Game Cards Delayed to 2019
34th Chaos Communication Congress (34C3) Presentations Online


Original Submission

Related Stories

The Ghost in Nintendo's Switch - Game Unlocks on the Date of Satoru Iwata's Death 9 comments

Kotaku runs a story about the game that "spontaneously" unlocks on the date of the death of Satoru Iwata:

When a Switch owner named Setery told a gaming forum about how NES Golf randomly appeared on her Switch's screen, commenters accused her console of being haunted. Switch hackers' subsequent race to unearth NES Golf now indicates that there's a hidden game on the console and, actually, it appears to be a heartwarming tribute to the deceased Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata.

[...] Prior to heading Nintendo, Iwata was a programmer... The story goes that, after several developers turned down the task of developing the NES's Golf, Iwata found a way to fit the game's 18-hole course onto a cartridge's modest memory.

On July 11th, 2015, Iwata succumbed to cancer at age 55. As Nintendo CEO, Iwata was known for his "Iwata Asks" column on Nintendo's website and his appearances at major Nintendo events. Thanks to Nintendo Directs, he also became associated with a very specific gesture.

[...] Fast forward to early summer, 2017, when hackers discovered a hidden NES emulator on the Switch referred to as "Flog," Ars Technica reports. "We thought they had included it during manufacturing by mistake," Plutoo, one of the Switch hackers... Last weekend, bored, Plutoo decided to look into it. ... He says he discovered two intriguing details: "The code looked for the date July 11th, and the code right before seemed to enable the 'Joycon sixaxis' motion sensors."

Nintendo to More Than Double Production of Switch; Success Rooted in Wii U's Failure 17 comments

Nintendo takes a gamble with record-setting Switch production plans

The Nintendo Switch has been an unqualified success so far, with Nintendo recently promising increased holiday season production to meet demand and expectations of over 16 million total sales by the end of March 2018. Reporting now suggests the company is expecting that sales pace to increase markedly in the coming year, though, and another associated production increase would come with both a fair amount of potential and risk for the company.

The production news comes from The Wall Street Journal, which cites "people with direct knowledge of the matter" in reporting that Nintendo plans to make 25 to 30 million Switch units in the coming fiscal year (which starts in April 2018). That's a major increase from the 13 million produced for the current fiscal year, which itself was a sizable increase from the company's initial plans to make just 8 million units for the console's first full year on shelves. WSJ's sources say those production numbers could go up even higher if coming holiday season sales are strong.

Nintendo exec: Failed Wii U is responsible for Switch's success

The success of the company's latest gaming console, the Nintendo Switch, is the result of lessons taken from the failed Wii U, according to Reggie Fils-Aimé, the president of Nintendo America.

[...] The console also didn't have a consistent flow of new games supporting the system. "We've addressed that with the Nintendo Switch -- having a steady pace of new launches is critical," he said. The Switch includes games like "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," "Super Mario Odyssey" and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe."

Another issue with the Wii U was that it didn't have "strong support" from Nintendo's third-party partners, Fils-Aimé said. "Whether it's the big companies like Electronic Arts, or whether it's the smaller independent developer, we need those companies to create content to support us. We have that now with Nintendo Switch," he said.

Previously: Will Third-Party Developers Support Nintendo's Switch?
Nintendo Switch Available on March 3rd for $299
Nintendo Switch Stolen by Distributor's Employees Ahead of Launch, Details Leaked
The Ghost in Nintendo's Switch - Game Unlocks on the Date of Satoru Iwata's Death


Original Submission

Nintendo Sells at Least 10 Million Switch Consoles in 2017, 64 GB Game Cards Delayed to 2019 9 comments

As of mid-December, Nintendo sold 10 million Switch consoles worldwide, after around 9 months of availability. The Switch outpaced sales of most other consoles in their initial months, except for the PS4.

Some big titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (an influence on Zelda: Breath of the Wild) have been ported to Nintendo Switch. But the ability to port certain games may be hindered by the delayed release of 64 GB "game cards" (proprietary ROM cartridges) for the system:

Those wishing for 64GB Nintendo Switch game cards will have to keep waiting. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Nintendo pushed back the rollout of 64GB game cards until 2019, citing "technical issues" as the problem. Game developers get Switch cards from Nintendo, so this means that they'll have to wait to get game cards that can support big titles.

[...] Nintendo initially attempted to alleviate the storage issue with the Switch's microSD card slot, which can hold an extra 2TB of space. However, 2TB microSD cards aren't available yet, and not every microSD card is the same. Some big titles require high-speed microSD cards to run properly.

While many mobile devices and the Nintendo Switch can support up to 2 TB of microSD storage, the largest currently in production is SanDisk's 400 GB card, which currently retails for $250.

CNET: Nintendo Switch was 2017's best gadget. What does it mean for 2018?

The Verge 2017 tech report card: Nintendo

Previously: Nintendo to More Than Double Production of Switch; Success Rooted in Wii U's Failure


Original Submission

34th Chaos Communication Congress (34C3) Presentations Online 13 comments

The presentations from the 34th Chaos Communication Congress (34C3) are online now that the conference has concluded. The 34C3 took place from December 27 through December 30, this time in Leipzig. The presentations were in English or German, with translations available from one to the other.

Some presentations are more technical, others not so much. One of the more popular non-technical presentations was author Charlie Stross on Dude, you broke the Future!


Original Submission

Hacking Group Fail0verflow Shows Linux Running on the Nintendo Switch 16 comments

Nintendo hopes that "every single person" will own a Nintendo Switch, and that it can prolong the life cycle of the console to beyond 5-6 years.

Maybe Linux on Switch could help?

[Hacker] group Fail0verflow has claimed to have found a Nintendo Switch hack.

The group has posted the picture of Switch booting a Debian GNU/Linux installation. The picture also shows a serial adapter connected to one Joy-Con docks. Notably, Fail0verflow is the same group that hacked Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3.

What makes this Nintendo Switch hack special is that it can't be patched in the currently released consoles. This is because the exploit was found in the boot ROM process of Nvidia Tegra X1 chips that can't be patched with software or firmware updates.

That's not all. This hack to run Linux doesn't even need a mod chip to run.

Also at TechCrunch.

Previously: Nintendo Switch Homebrew Mode Coming Soon Due to NVIDIA Tegra X1 Exploit

Related: Nintendo to More Than Double Production of Switch; Success Rooted in Wii U's Failure
Nintendo Switch is Fastest-Selling US Home Console


Original Submission

Nintendo Begins Locking Out Switch Hackers From Online Services 15 comments

Nintendo Switch hackers are being banned from online services

Not long after its March launch last year, it was revealed that a GPU exploit in the Nintendo Switch could be used to run unofficial software, like pirated games and homebrew ROMs. Since then, the Switch's hacking community has grown, and the discovery of a new 'unpatchable' exploit last month has only made the console more attractive to pirates and homebrew fans.

Nintendo isn't taking the assault on its walled garden lightly, however, and is taking steps to crack down and dissuade users from taking advantage of the security holes.

The Japanese company has begun banning hacked consoles from its online services, sending error notifications when users attempt to log in. According to the message, "The use of online services on this console is currently restricted by Nintendo," and users will need to "Contact Customer Support via the Nintendo Support Website".

Also at Nintendo Life.

Previously: Nintendo Switch Homebrew Mode Coming Soon Due to NVIDIA Tegra X1 Exploit
Hacking Group Fail0verflow Shows Linux Running on the Nintendo Switch
The "Unpatchable" Exploit That Makes Every Current Nintendo Switch Hackable [Updated]

Related: Nintendo Switch is Fastest-Selling US Home Console


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 01 2018, @10:09PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 01 2018, @10:09PM (#616516)

    Firmware revision 3.0.0 has the aforementioned userland exploits, and that's what's being actively promoted. Original print-run Pokken Tournament DXs had 3.0.0 on the cart.

    Many of the prominent homebrew developers are staunchly against piracy. Supposedly 1.0.0 has kernel level exploits which, while less likely to see public release anytime soon, obviously have further ranging capabilities, including the potential to emulate later firmware revisions.

    The homebrew developers have been actively encouraging 1.0.0 people to get on 3.0.0 even though there is no reason to do so at this point in time -- the only upgrade path exists in the form of a static medium, and there's nothing yet that can be done with 3.0.0. One wonders as to their motivations.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 02 2018, @03:51AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 02 2018, @03:51AM (#616603)

    "Running unapproved programs on your own computer coming soon due to exploit!" is dystopian bullshit.

    Fuck buying computers which only let one run approved programs.

    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday January 02 2018, @05:34AM (1 child)

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Tuesday January 02 2018, @05:34AM (#616630) Journal

      So which flavor of caged computing are you running? Intel, AMD, or ARM?

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
      • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 02 2018, @06:01AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 02 2018, @06:01AM (#616636)

        I'm not happy with them, but they don't forbid me from running unauthorized programs so far as I know.

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