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Xbox 360 Security Hole Revealed, Already Patched

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Marketplace,

Xbox 360 The Bugtraq mailing list recently published the details of an unsigned code execution security hole on the Xbox 360. The timeline of the security hole would seem to make this vulnerability the same one demonstrated at last year’s 23C3 Hacker Congress, as seen in this excerpt:

Timeline:
Oct 31, 2006 - release of 4532 kernel, which is the first version
containing the bug
Nov 16, 2006 - proof of concept completed; unsigned code running in
hypervisor context
Nov 30, 2006 - release of 4548 kernel, bug still not fixed
Dec 15, 2006 - first attempt to contact vendor to report bug
Dec 30, 2006 - public demonstration
Jan 03, 2007 - vendor contact established, full details disclosed
Jan 09, 2007 - vendor releases patch
Feb 28, 2007 - full public release

The public demonstration date is key; that would be the same date of the anonymous Xbox 360 hacker video release. Further, the overview of the vulnerability claims:

We have discovered a vulnerability in the Xbox 360 hypervisor that allows
privilege escalation into hypervisor mode. Together with a method to
inject data into non-privileged memory areas, this vulnerability allows
an attacker with physical access to an Xbox 360 to run arbitrary code
such as alternative operating systems with full privileges and full
hardware access.

According to the release, Microsoft has patched the vulnerability as of January 9th, but then Sony thought they had patched the Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories security hole as well. The existence of such a vulnerability indicates that the security of the Xbox 360 isn’t as bulletproof as Microsoft intended, and it would seem a mere matter of time before another exploitable hole is found to enable homebrew development on the system.

Read More | SecurityFocus via Xbox Scene

Gallery: Xbox 360 Security Hole Revealed, Already Patched


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Anonymous Hacker Shows Xbox 360 Exploit

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Xbox 360,

Videos have surfaced of what appears to be an Xbox 360 hack being used to run custom code on the console. At the 23C3 Hacker Congress in Germany, an anonymous hacker brings an Xbox 360 with some kind of hardware modification on stage and proceeds to demonstrate running custom code via an exploit that appears to exist in Ubisoft’s King Kong. The video uploaded to YouTube eventually shows a moving logo apparently offering Linux and OS X on the console, “coming soon.” No other details have been released at this point, so it is hard to gauge the feasibility of the hack. Having this hack appear at the 23C3 Hacker Congress event hosted by the Chaos Computer Club gives this demonstration more weight than a random Internet video, but homebrew developers are taking a wait-and-see stance at this point until more details surface.

Read More | Xbox-Scene

Gallery: Anonymous Hacker Shows Xbox 360 Exploit


DS-Xtreme Nintendo DS Flash Cart Reviewed

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo DS,

DS-XtremeMaxconsole.net has taken an in-depth look at the DS-Xtreme flash cartridge for the Nintendo DS. The cartridge manufacturer claims that this is the first all-in-one solution for the Nintendo DS for homebrew development, movie and music playback, and game backups in a package that fits within the DS cartridge slot. Other implementations have either required users to have some kind of PassMe device, or would use a combination of the DS and the GBA slots on the DS to function. Many devices have required game patching to allow cartridge backups to run. The DS-Xtreme offers plug-and-play functionality with 4 gigabits of RAM (512 megabytes) in a small form-factor. Maxconsole’s review finds that the DS-X claims are generally true, and only really dings this solution for the inability to expand the internal memory, the slightly high price and the lack of a manual. Overall, this offering appears to be a homebrew developer’s dream come true.

Read More | Maxconsole

Gallery: DS-Xtreme Nintendo DS Flash Cart Reviewed


Nintendo DS Hard Drive Hack

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Mods/Hacks, Nintendo DS,

DS Hard drive hackFor those Nintendo DS homebrew developers out there looking for just a little more space for their projects, Natrium42, creator of the PassMe homebrew enabling device has a new hardware hack on his blog. By hacking a GBA Movie Player CompactFlash interface, Natrium42 was able to add a 40 GB hard drive to his Nintendo DS. Now, the solution is hardly an idea portable solution with all the extraneous equipment and power required, but this is an interesting hack. Sure, people could buy the 4 GB Max Media Player for the DS, but this hack is a whole order of magnitude larger.

Read More | Natrium42

Gallery: Nintendo DS Hard Drive Hack


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