Hacking a nintendo switch without actually hacking it?

[AzizBgBoss]

Technically, I can make a DNS server that fakes the official nintendo server traffic.

Example:
When the switch sends a request to the official server to confirm if i have a nintendo online membership or not. So my custom DNS server ditches that request and sends a fake one confirming that i have a membership.

I think it's possible, but I need somebody to help me.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Technically, I can make a DNS server that fakes the official nintendo server traffic.

Example:
When the switch sends a request to the official server to confirm if i have a nintendo online membership or not. So my custom DNS server ditches that request and sends a fake one confirming that i have a membership.

I think it's possible, but I need somebody to help me.

The communication is encrypted, and you need a hacked console to disable or spoof that encryption.

 

[CMDreamer]

Feasible, yes.

But it's easier said than done.

You need to fake ID certificates that only Nintendo knows how to generate and validate. Just as a start.

Edit:

Adding what @The Real Jdbye mentions, makes it nearly undoable (nothing's impossible).

 

[AzizBgBoss]

The communication is encrypted, and you need a hacked console to disable or spoof that encryption.

if we try to reverse engineer the connection, study internet traffic from different nintendo switch devices and accounts, and be patient enough, is it doable?

 

[masagrator]

if we try to reverse engineer the connection, study internet traffic from different nintendo switch devices and accounts, and be patient enough, is it doable?

To study traffic with Nintendo servers you must provide Switch unique certificate. When Nintendo will catch response is wrong, Nintendo bans it. So you must have tons of money to buy Switches, hack them and extract certificates so you can swap them each time last certificate gets banned. DNS redirection on its own means shit because you won't understand anything that Switch asks and guessing is a futile job.

And what next? Firmware updates are digitally signed, so even if you will force Switch to download modified fw from different source, Switch will just not install it.

So what do you plan to do with DNS? Since any exploit using it was patched years ago. Because Nintendo got Switch ready for this situation to not rely on internet entirely for authentication.

 

[InsaneNutter]

The problem you have is you can't decrypt the traffic, if you somehow do that (without hacking the Switch) and break the encryption, then congratulations you have probably also broken the internet.

Maybe one day a flaw will be discovered with how Nintendo implemented SSL on the Switch, or some keys will leak, kind of like what is possible with the DS: https://github.com/KaeruTeam/nds-constraint

Realistically what you want to do right now is not possible. Maybe one day it will be and the security considered secure today will one day be considered as insecure as a WEP WiFi network now is.

You could earn the money to buy an Nintendo Online membership far faster than any of the above happening though.