D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
Because starting from scratch is a waste of time money and resources?
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First Nintendo Switch cartridge dumps (ROMs) released
- Thread starter Atheerios
- Start date
One thing that is on my mind. The switch runs on an ARM processor, similar to those that we have on our phones. Is there anything in the architecture that would impede games from running on tablets or phones? Like, is there anything really different between the hardware of a switch and a tablet?
MegaManTrigger
Banned
I would wonder about the encryption options used for both the 3DS and Switch. If hackers are able to decrypt then that speaks to something wrong with the encryption system used.
Not necessarily, but Nintendo might end up having part of the backup process (Encryption) done in the cloud. So you might be required to have a Nintendo Account but not necessarily the subscription if you just want to do local saves.
Someone who don't know shit but wants to take a failed shot at Nintendo.
Someone who knows how shit works, with added bonus for being right about a D-Pad.
gingerbeardman
Member
freeshop?
Foxy the Fox
Member
Icedburden
Member
Best hack for my Wii U was being able to use the GameCube controllers for more than smash. I welcome these types of hacks for the Switch with open arms.
We know thanks to hacking that the 3DS is named internally "Horizon" by Nintendo.
The Switch OS internally references Horizon a lot, so it seems to be based (though obviously heavily modified) on the Horizon OS.
Don't think this necessarily means that, could just be imported elements from the old OS. And they just didn't clean up old elements.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
Be funny if the Switch got hacked to play SNES games before Nintendo officially does it. Why that shit wasn't there day one...
The first few months of XY were amazing, knowing that everyone was on a level playing field, with nothing hacked. Some of my best Pokemon memories were making trades on those games.
Actually, a lot of this reminds me in many ways to the PS4's early scene with the kaslr-free firmware in <1.7/1.8 (it was patched in after the release of TLOUR), and is where kernel exploits had remained for a while since the later patch added kernel aslr and the whole thing reverted to zero (this is also why scenes do not like to release their hacks early, or advertise them, if the hole is shutdown it ruins future work since it requires then also figuring out a way to flash an older firmware). Some of the members in the scene also leaked some of the vulnerabilities to Sony, so that ended up crippling the scene for a while as well.
The PS4 4.5/4.0+ is now compromised, I believe, and that's why 5.0 is showing up on the horizon.
From what I've found, the Switch is also (comically) lacking kaslr on the kernel and why it was dumped so quickly and can now potentially be compromised quickly (though they still would have to crack nVidia's TrustZone... which I am unsure how they'll get about doing, nVidia tends to be a tad more competent than Nintendo when it comes to security).
If you see a patch to 4.0.0 soon (or a major 3.X.0), this is likely going to be why and they will be addressing kernel elements in the firmware directly, especially if someone leaks the exact vector to them. The 20,000$ reward exists to a large degree for this purpose and the exposure from youtubers/forum posts like this one where most are jumping to really bizarrely extreme conclusions, only further expose the progress of the scene to scrutiny.
The PS4 4.5/4.0+ is now compromised, I believe, and that's why 5.0 is showing up on the horizon.
From what I've found, the Switch is also (comically) lacking kaslr on the kernel and why it was dumped so quickly and can now potentially be compromised quickly (though they still would have to crack nVidia's TrustZone... which I am unsure how they'll get about doing, nVidia tends to be a tad more competent than Nintendo when it comes to security).
If you see a patch to 4.0.0 soon (or a major 3.X.0), this is likely going to be why and they will be addressing kernel elements in the firmware directly, especially if someone leaks the exact vector to them. The 20,000$ reward exists to a large degree for this purpose and the exposure from youtubers/forum posts like this one where most are jumping to really bizarrely extreme conclusions, only further expose the progress of the scene to scrutiny.
ghostwritingduck
Member
So people will buy new games and encourage more indie developers to port games to Switch most likely.
They can update GTS to take care of this on the server side, the problem was that, basically, as the hacks evolved the service did not. They can run any number of basic "logic" checks that cannot be circumvented (since the server needs to read and be told actions correctly in order to execute and translate them to the opponent/trade/whatever), but they never did. There's effectively *no* server side checking on validity of any kind.
Even if the Switch were opened to hacking, and really all consoles/games inevitably become open to save-state editing, a server check and well coded base would be able to "sniff" this out to a high degree. They just never bothered.
Steam is hacked to high hell as are the games, but VAC will still find and ban users in droves and with regularity. Hell, the WiiU banned people for hacking and the Switch will likely be even more sensitive to it due to the paid services.
The 3DS was just a tirefire for security and extended security practices on the server side. Thing was cracked open and running ROMs on release, basically. 3DS roms were dumped in even less time than the Switch, lol. The 3DS still took 2 years to reach a truly compromised state, though, as it took a long time to get things running. Gateway was 2013, a little over two years post 3DS launch. The 3DS also did not have extended security functions like TrustZone.
Pokemaniac
Member
Switch uses code from FreeBSD (probably the networking stack, because if you're taking one piece of code from BSD it's probably that), but the actual OS appears to be heavily based on the 3DS.
If it was actually BSD then I'd expect more Unix-y syscalls, at a bare minimum.
Chris_Rivera
Member
Splendid news.
You can hack the switch for whatever reason you want. Don't speak for other people about what they'll use it for.
Ask again in two+ years.
Seriously, this thread has led people on quite the trip in their expectations.
Heeeeeeell yes. God I hope Smash 4 Switch is a port of Wii U's smash now.
Since the Wii U smash is blown wide open, modding Smash Switch seems crazy doable if it's the same game. Especially if it's easy to port Wii U smash mods over to the new hardware.
I need more Mirage Chrom in my life.
Since the Wii U smash is blown wide open, modding Smash Switch seems crazy doable if it's the same game. Especially if it's easy to port Wii U smash mods over to the new hardware.
I need more Mirage Chrom in my life.
Maintenance
Member
uncelestial
Member
4K Wii U is already here and it is indeed pretty great looking. Breath of the Wild looks fantastic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_f8IlftGY0
This is good use. I don't think you know how hackers think or operate. Managing to break into a device and learn as much as you can about it is a fascinating thing.
It also pushes the manufacturer to improve security and function.
In XY it was possible to test things out against players online the first week, since teams were rarely super labbed and calcylated and more test stuff early with pokemon that are easy to get.
Sun and moon didnt allow that, as the hackers forced actual battle ready teams online (not just ev trained with good nature), so i agree, it ruined the fun of exploring that meta.
Saw a friend stream some splatoon 1 online, 1 player were like 4-8x faster then any general player, so I assume that game is kinda dead online now.
It has been hacked. Several times, in many ways. There just isn't any decent stuff put out in the public.
PS4 is so hacked that it's possible to install Linux and play Steam games.
The biggest compromise is the complete NAND flash dump.
Flying Toaster
Member
People shocked that this has happened so quickly. Data mining and reverse engineering is a norm for companies. People with those talents happen to use said talents as a hobby things like this are a natural progression. I am actually more impressed how open they are about it as hacks and finds were played close to the chest with the 3ds until it was more mature.
Godspeed you goofy bastards and good work.
Godspeed you goofy bastards and good work.
FinaruDensetsu
Member
Yay! Can't wait until we can put emulators on this. That's when I'll pick a Switch up.
HighResTomato
Member
Dr. Buni
Member
Yeah. So?
Might as well hack a game to instantly give you win next time.
Bu-but ultimate emulation machine! (been said dozen times to previous handheld platforms, but strangely not including actually portable PC aka GDP)
nogoodnamesleft
Banned
Honestly, with HTPCs and android phones, what's the point? My phone or a HTPC can do "homebrew" better than the Switch can. (Or a console for that matter).
I dunno, emulation on one of if not the most powerful portable mobile device currently on the market that I already own?
That has controllers already on the device?
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
"We" are not discussing it because people isn't comfortable by the fact that the thing that allows them to have some convenience regarding their system also the same thing that allows piracy, and that piracy is the biggest reason why the biggest amount of people would flock to that thing in the first place.
Well, except for the cat-and-mouse game you'll subject yourself in order to do so, and any given patch potentially breaking said functionality or the lack thereof for game access. Since the switch has nVidia's security TrustZone, which isn't so far so much as touched and likely considerably better guarded, you're going to regularly see obsolescence with updates. Until they can crack that, which is years of ARM secutiry research, they're going to potentially not get very far depending on how baked into the functionality of the system it is. (That's the problem with much of the current news, yes they've dumped the kernel and some encryptions, but we have no idea how far it will get them or how long it will take them to get anywhere with it.)
Right now, they're trying to reach kernel userland which can takes months to years to who knows how long before it even becomes publicly available *if* it does become publicly available. And the way these groups generally work, they don't release a major exploit until after the kernel/firmware is patched, potentially, multiple times.
Which means, come 3.X or 4.0 major patch update to the firmware, if this vuln is leaked to Nintendo and, say, they add ASLR to the kernel, you'll basically have to not update on a promise of "someday" having access to the exploits now being found and, effectively, lose access to the eShop and any future releases until someone either figures out how to roll back firmware or cracks high-level encryption.
In general, a lot of these things are becoming more and more tedious to keep up with. This isn't like the old days where you could flash the Wii to homebrew in five minutes off a harddrive and be done.
BigEmil
Junior Member
The more I think about it the more I want it emulation on the Switch would be awesome and a huge selling point itself and I can't think of other stuff Homebrew could offer
Zombie James
Banned
Hackers do what Nintendon't.