Hacking grouping Team Xecuter—the developers of Nintendo Switch jailbreaking software SX OS that helps gamers play homebrewed in addition to pirated games on the console—has itself been caught using anti-piracy measures inward its ain code that tin brick your Switch, if it detects you lot are trying to scissure it for unauthorized distribution.
If you lot ain a Nintendo Switch, you lot must move aware that to struggle piracy on the console, the companionship has an anti-piracy mensurate inward identify that uses encrypted certificates to verify a game's legitimacy. If it detects whatsoever pirated game or modified console, the Switch at in ane trial gets banned from the company's online servers.
To bypass these restrictions, developers’ groups similar Team Xecuter (TX) offering jailbreaking software that enables gamers to play pirated games on the gaming console.
Earlier this month, Team Xecuter (TX) released its custom jailbroken firmware, dubbed SX OS, for Nintendo's latest Switches, along amongst a dongle (SX Pro) for booting the firmware on the console. But, dissimilar other pirate game developers, the squad sells SX Pro in addition to SX OS for £42.40 in addition to £18.80 respectively.
However, it appears that Team Xecuter believes about pirates mightiness attempt to scissure its software, similar the companionship itself did past times slap-up Nintendo Switch.
Therefore, TX ironically added a 'brick code' into its SX OS firmware which tin lock upward the Switch's internal retentiveness (eMMC) amongst a totally random password if it detects an endeavor to scissure or gratis distribute its software online.
The uncovering was made past times UK-based vulnerability researcher Mike Heskin, who contrary engineered the SX OS code, intentionally triggered the bricking feature, in addition to eventually ended upward bricking his ain Switch amongst a randomly generated password.
Heskin thus revealed that the anti-piracy countermeasure could potentially brick people’s console who are using SX OS normally.
"The code tin indeed trigger amongst normal usage, simply the odds are thus depression that is really unlikely that anyone volition move affected past times this (unless you're messing amongst voltage or time-sensitive stuff)," Heskin tweeted. "These were directly observations from contrary technology scientific discipline in addition to testing their code."However, Heskin was able to undo the bricking procedure in addition to disabled the password lock, which is, of course, non an slow work for an average user amongst non much technical knowledge.
"Regular users won't move able to restore the NAND normally. You ask to mess amongst raw MMC commands to either unlock or forcefulness erase the eMMC," Heskin tweeted.
Heskin has offered a to a greater extent than in-depth explanation of his findings on his blog.
