It appears that users are being banned from 3DS online services, en masse. There's no direct cause right now, and seemingly no linking factor. This post is meant as an announcement for users, to be wary, and that GBAtemp will keep you updated as soon as more info rolls in. If you have been banned, please post in the thread below, and we will try to keep tabs on the situation. To be extra sure, it can't hurt to turn off your 3DS's wireless capabilities, so you might as well do that for now.

Edit 1: it appears that e-Shop access isn't restricted if you are banned.

Edit 2: A caller to Nintendo reported that the company said this ban is due to "unauthorized software usage".

Edit 3: @LinkSoraZelda is collecting info. Contact him if you are banned.

Edit 4: Click and fill this out if you were BANNED.

Edit 5:

[11:28:19 PM] Clector: Curiously the page of that error in Nintendo Support website used to have this:Error Code: 002-0102 Situation: You receive the error code 002-0102 when attempting to connect online. What to Do: If you continue to experience this issue, please contact Nintendo by calling 1-800-255-3700. Representatives are available from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Pacific Time, 7 days a week.
[11:28:44 PM] Clector: Now it says this: What to Do: If you are experiencing this error code, your Nintendo 3DS family system has been banned due to unauthorized system modifications, play of unauthorized versions of one or more games, and/or connecting to the official game servers in violation of our terms of service. This ban is effective immediately and requests to remove the ban will not be processed.

Thanks to @Joom

Edit 6: Aurora Wright is taking another poll here

Edit 7: Not a lot is known but

There are bans happening, they are happening in all regions.
All models in the 3ds family seem to be candidates for banning.
There is no indication they will be anything other than permanent.
A game or DLC may end up being a cause but there is no one game or DLC that ties banned users together.
The cause or causes are as yet unknown, though it does seem to be related to modifications. Reports of unmodified consoles being banned are as yet unproven.
The banning is tied to something you can modify, thus you can unban. Doing it while the causes are unknown is likely only going to burn a working token though.
There are semi public tokens out there, Nintendo knows how to browse a forum as well as you so don't be surprised if they also get banned.
It does not seem to be limited to a given base firmware version, it does not seem to be limited to any one custom firmware type. There is some speculation that older hacking methods are not being hit as hard but nothing to confirm this yet.
The data collection could have happened this morning, or it could have been months in the making.
A simple check to see is checking your friends list, by itself it will not ban you.
Some are turning their wifi off. It is doubtful this will be of much use and being banned does not seem to come with any downsides that wifi being off will not also mimic.
You may have escaped a ban thus far but it could happen at any point. It could be that they stop in the future, it has happened on other consoles, but you would be living in hope rather than any particularly well founded logic.
The bans are done on the side of Nintendo's servers rather than your 3ds so there is also that.

If you hack your devices/games then their online functionality may be troubled. This has been known for decades, Nintendo seems to have finally caught up with that.

Please continue to share information with the thread or the links in previous edits.

Update 5/30

HOW TO HELP AVOID BANS (we think)​

If I was to guess from the information we have gathered since the ban wave, it seems likely that they are looking for TitleIDs that don't exist. Homebrew shows up in the activity log as the Download Play app, and fake CIA's show up as just ??????. That last one is what I'm guessing they are looking for.

If you are not banned yet or before you unban yourself, go into your friends list, choose settings, and turn off the option to "show friends what game you are playing." This will prevent you from playing games online with friends, so turn it back on when you wanna game with someone, but ALWAYS keep it off when running custom CIAs. Next, go into system settings -> internet settings -> spotpass, and turn off BOTH options. One is auto download software, the other sends system information to Nintendo. Also, make sure you don't have your favorite title set to something stupid like FBI or any other non-Nintendo CIA.

Its VERY likely that these options are what tipped off Nintendo, but we aren't 100% certain yet. The amount of banned people that had one of these options turned on was over 80% for each. If I was to assume that some of those people overlap, its very possible (but not confirmed) that 100% of banned people in the survey had at least one of those options turned on. I personally had all of them off and I have TONS of reasons for Nintendo to ban me.... yet I am not banned (yet).

Another bit of advice: Only run custom CIAs when offline, and after you close them, run a "legit" game like Smash Bros. or something before shutting down or going back online. This way your most recent title won't show up as a fake CIA

Current Theories as to what causes a ban
​

* SpotPass Settings: 8 users out of 46 users that were banned have SpotPass completely shut off, or SpotPass only (no friends list visibility)
* Firmware Version (Luma, Nintendo): Literally all reports ranged from 10.2+, I can get exact numbers for this if you'd like, but all firmwares were affected.
* Firmware Type (A9LH, B9S): 44 of the 126 B9S users that answered were banned, pattern was mirrored for A9LH users as well.
* Homebrew Titles such as FBI, HBL, Luma Updater, Themely, and freeShop: Literally about 98% of users both banned and unbanned had some combination of these applications installed. However the common ones were: FBI, HBL, LumaUpdater and NTR.
* Save Modification: Equal amounts of users on both sides have reported save modification in some form, either with PKSM or another save editor
* System Transfers: 188 users said that they had not previously system transfered, 61 of those users were banned; 16 users said they transferred from a hacked console, only three of them received a ban; 13 said they transferred from a stock system and likewise were banned. The rest of our sample did not answer this question.
* Activity Log Information: A majority of those who have not been banned have said they had NOT cleaned their activity logs. I can get exact numbers for this too on request.

This information is just what I've found. Like I said, there could be variables or things we haven't even checked for yet. But these are things that I feel should be disproven, at least with the current dataset we have.

• From the information that we've gathered from some people that have used a packet sniffer such as WireShark, the following data is sent to Nintendo's online gaming servers as soon as the 3DS connects to the internet:
  • Amount of time spent online (timer stops when either the system is disconnected from the internet, or connection drops out, then starts the timer again in a new session when it reconnects to the internet).
  • The game being played and amount of time spent on it during that session.
  • The console's unique hexadecimal ID used in the LocalFriendCodeSeedB, along with it's RSA-signed signature.
  • The console's serial number in which is broadcasted from the SoC and is hard coded in the SoC.
  • Friend Code generated on the Nintendo 3DS system, if one has been generated.
  • Internet connection status (either online or offline).
  • The Nintendo Network ID, if there is one linked to it.
  • Even if the sending of SpotPass Information is switched off, or even hiding your currently playing games. It does not prevent the system from sending currently playing information to Nintendo's online gaming servers, it only hides it from your friends in your friend list (like being invisible on the forum, while mods and admins can still see you). Why? Because even people without a Friend Code on their system have been getting banned too!

• The following data is NOT sent to Nintendo's online gaming servers:
  • The data from the Nintendo 3DS's Activity Log. Oddly enough, while Nintendo does explicitly state that they collect Activity Log data, they're actually referring to their own server's Activity Log, which always tracks every console's online activity, and keeps a record of them that is stored forever. And is only collected in increments of data through a timer and a currently playing list.
    
  • Games or apps that have not been played, regardless if they're legitimate or not. You only get tracked when you're online and using that game or app.
  • Using games or apps while offline. Even though it is stored on the 3DS console's Activity Log, that data is NOT sent to Nintendo's online gaming servers.
  • Custom Firmware. Though we can't rule out the possibility of them releasing a 3DS update in the future that adds such function to collect MD5 hashes of files and FIRM data and send them to Nintendo online gaming servers (which would also be updated in a maintenance).

• Things that people think what happens with consoles, but really doesn't:
  • "LocalFriendCodeSeedB is transferred to the system upon doing a system transfer". This is false, the LocalFriendCodeSeedB remains on the system and does not move to another system.
  • "The console generates a LocalFriendCodeSeedB upon first startup". Again, this is false, the LocalFriendCodeSeedB is made during the manufacturing process at Foxconn. It is generated at the factory, flashed to the NAND flash memory storage, then created as an account on Nintendo's online gaming server and Nintendo eShop server immediately when being manufactured. It is absolutely impossible to generate a LocalFriendCodeSeedB and be able to connect to Nintendo's online gaming server and/or Nintendo eShop server, even if you knew the RSA generation key for it. You'd end up with Error Code 002-0102 "This console's online services have been restricted by Nintendo" if you even tried (the error can either mean two things: The hexadecimal ID doesn't exist on the server, or the request to access the hexadecimal ID has been denied which in other words... banned). So a LocalFriendCodeSeedB generator will NEVER happen! Because it's not worth doing, if it can't connect.
  • Switching off "Currently Playing" information. Once again, this does not hide your online activity from Nintendo's online gaming server, it only hides it from your friends.
  • Switching off SpotPass. Nope, this too doesn't hide your online activity from Nintendo's online gaming server, it only opts-out of receiving SpotPass data, sorry.

So pretty much the bottom line is, if anyone has been using custom apps and/or titles not installed through Nintendo eShop while online in the past, guess what? You're screwed! And it is only a matter of time before your console's unique hexadecimal ID in the LocalFriendCodeSeedB is banned from Nintendo's online gaming server. This will mean, your console can't access the Friend List or play any online functions in games.

If you have been online while using custom apps and/or titles not installed through Nintendo eShop and haven't been banned yet, that's because Nintendo hasn't caught up to you yet. They're still going through each unique hexadecimal ID's Activity Log on their server, and by Activity Log, I mean the Activity Log on their server, not the 3DS console's activity log. And it will be only a matter of time before you're banned too.

Thanks to @Platinum Lucario @MadMageKefka and @ShadowEO !

 

[TinchoX]

Unless...we can spoof R4's?

Uuuhhh..... is this even the right place to ask for R4 related stuff? Isn't it like ancient technology?? (That still works, surprisingly)

 

[ItShoto]

So you're saying this will only work on systems that has never ran homebrew or cfw? What is the point then? Might as well just wait until it's safe to use a legit seed

You can have a legit seed while on CFW...

 

[Gameboyandwatch]

Have any non kernel access *hax users been banned? Legitimately asking for a friend. Ex: Soundhax

 

[angelus kun]

Another facebook post, the user says his ban was disappeared on his 3 consoles

 

[TimX24968B]

(sorry if off topic again or just dont know how the ftpd method works) but that didn't work.

 

[3DSBurg]

Has anyone tried to do a system transfer to a new, off the shelf 3DS from a banned? What happens? I know the system transfer needs to authenticate before you start the transfer, but I wonder if that's unblocked...

 

[zombigrn]

You can have a legit seed while on CFW...

The only way would be to inject a banned seed on a good console and then perform cfw installation and what not and then put back the original seed and boom, servers think you haven't done anything to the system. Just don't run fbi on the good seed or any other homebrew and you'll be good. Maybe

 

[Windylacine]

I had them all in Moon and them backed up the save, dumped them all as pk files, I didn't dump directly from Bank.

Ah I see... Anybody from Europe ever gotten banned recently?

 

[Dracari]

if there was any good time as any to start the prelim work on an "alt-3DS wifi" nows as good as any. while yea it'd be flooded w/ cheaters and hackers, for 2 co op games w/o local, that let us play again and get around using Netflix/hulu on banned units.

 

[Antari]

Another facebook post, the user says his ban was disappeared on his 3 consolesView attachment 88213

That's interesting.

 

[TinchoX]

That's interesting.

Most likely fake, he is not showing any of his consoles on the Friends app.

 

[FAST6191]

Do not mix up Microsoft/Sony banning methods with Nintendo, they approach differently on this matter.

They appear to have detected modders, they are issuing bans to said modders. I mean I don't think Nintendo are as good as MS and Sony (PC has been doing this for who knows how long, Microsoft since the original xbox in early 2003 https://www.xbins.org/index.php?action=catsearch&searchtxt=XBOX&startAt=1160 and all the awful stuff Nintendo has done this go around -- the universal headers, the pokemon info sent predictably in plaintext before wifi battle selection, that this is some 4 years on and only now are they showing teeth) but they appear to be going by the same playbook. As such the ultra broad comparison of methods available and seen in the wild you tried to bring the other one up on is a valid thing to ponder here.

Speaking of being banned why do people fear them? Are they expecting this to blow over? I mean at least with the 360 a flagged machine would still have some functionality (divx decoding and such) that was removed at one point for banned consoles, here it seems you have more functionality banned than with wifi disabled. Or it is really that they don't understand the concepts involved?

i'm sure gamestop is taking quite a hit with the used 3d'ses, i was hoping something would magically come out of that and gamestop would release some type of statement to nintendo, we need all the legal help we can get lol.

They have been here before when bans were issued for consoles that have security teams and network infrastructure worthy of the name. I am sure they will be OK.

This is one gonna be one of the greatest events in hacking history.

Banning users of modified devices? It has happened for years and years at this point, as a general concept it is as common as dirt and predictable as the sun rising. I doubt there will be more than an amusing joke told in a hacker conference about this.

Ok, I have a question,
Friend of mine has unmodified 3ds, so no cfw, no gateway. He received the ban hammer. How and why?
Only thing he uses is a r4 cart.

DS R4 or one of the 3ds focused ones? Because the 3ds focused ones are often gateway clones, and that does make it a CFW of sorts.
Equally does he participate in anything like pokemon generation/getting pokemon from others?

So are we continuing to make a patch or something or have we failed?

"We" are doing nothing other than collecting info. Those making the custom firmwares, or inclined to contribute to their development, will have to either figure out Nintendo's detection methods or do a full security audit of the firmware, and their custom one, and hope that anything they discover is the same as what Nintendo are doing. I have not especially kept up with modern 3ds custom firmwares and methods but if it was just a continuation of the earliest stuff I did see (lots of patch it until it works rather than fully understand the system and go from there) then we are in for a bit of a wait.

 

[TheProdigy972]

Banning users of modified devices? It has happened for years and years at this point, as a general concept it is as common as dirt and predictable as the sun rising. I doubt there will be more than an amusing joke told in a hacker conference about this.

I meant us hackers fighting against Ninty!

 

[TimX24968B]

(I'm not trying to be repetitive, sorry, but I don't want to overhaul this system)anyone know how to get decrypt9 running on 9.2 from homebrew launcher or how the ftpd method works? I tried running it then closing out then running decrypt9 but thats not working.

 

[TinchoX]

I meant us hackers fighting against Ninty!

I'm not a "hacker" myself, I'm your average internet joe.

 

[moneychild]

Have not played my N3ds or O3ds for a long while because of school and me buying a switch. The last time I played was like way before February or January.

Anyway, have not really read anything about Gateway users being banned. So is it safe?

I got the gateway ahl9 thing installed on my o3ds and I have theme hack that runs bootx of gateway on startup on my N3ds.

 

[MollyChan]

I had a question that kiinda got buried under several pages of posts, so I'll ask it again
Was it said whether transferring your data from a CFW console into a new, OFW console, will let you keep your official game savedata and NNID and all that from the old banned console on a new, unbanned one WITHOUT risk of getting banned again? (Assuming the CFW console erased all traces of homebrew software on the Activity Log before the transfer)

 

[TheProdigy972]

I'm not a "hacker" myself, I'm your average internet joe.

Your on GBA Temp Right? So you are a hacker too!

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

This is the longest thread i've ever seen!

 

[TinchoX]

Have not played my N3ds or O3ds for a long while because of school and me buying a switch. The last time I played was like way before February or January.

Anyway, have not really read anything about Gateway users being banned. So is it safe?

I got the gateway ahl9 thing installed on my o3ds and I have theme hack that runs bootx of gateway on startup on my N3ds.

Nothing that's not strictly playing Nintendo Cartridges is considered "Safe" anymore... or well it was never safe, like, at all, ever.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Your on GBA Temp Right? So you are a hacker too!

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

This is the longest thread i've ever seen!

OH really? Will you look at that, I'm a h4x0rz!! xD

 

[DashAhead]

(I'm not trying to be repetitive, sorry, but I don't want to overhaul this system)anyone know how to get decrypt9 running on 9.2 from homebrew launcher or how the ftpd method works? I tried running it then closing out then running decrypt9 but thats not working.

What CFW are you using?