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 !

 

[nitroBW]

If I use the same NNID on 3DS and Wii U and I find out that the 3DS online services have been restricted would that extend to the Wii U also?

It's not a NNID ban, so no, your WiiU isn't affected by this

 

[Secret_3DS_Agent]

Wow, I got banned 2 days ago, my o3ds is still alive and kicking tho.

My two 3DSes still aren't banned yet, even after privatizing everything. Here is my info:

New 3DS XL
Boot9Strap (upgraded from A9LH)
Sys 11.4.0-37U
Luma 7.1
FBI, FreeShop, Luma Updater, etc. all installed
SpotPass, Friend List settings and eShop settings were all turned on, but have all been turned off since then. Still not banned.

3DS XL
Boot9Strap (upgraded from A9LH)
Sys 11.4.0-37U
Luma 7.1
FBI, FreeShop, Luma Updater, etc. all installed
SpotPass, Friend List settings and eShop settings were all turned on, but have all been turned off since then. Still not banned.

Although it may be too late for me. My information could already be logged and Nintendo hasn't reached my console yet. I will let you guys know if any of my 3DSes ever do get banned.

In the meantime, I'm going to gather some data by making polls.

 

[BlackEnigma]

It's not a NNID ban, so no, your WiiU isn't affected by this

Thanks for the response

 

[Fsm51]

There is no fix that hasn't existed for a while.

Why just the last character, and is this the offset or actual value stored?

Offset

 

[Veranek]

Who ever posted that seed was the hero but like he said it forsure will be ban sometime soon.

It was already public way before it was published here. The person who posted it didn't make that decision.

 

[RedBlueGreen]

So, I just contacted Nintendo about the ban wave (Just mentioned Error Code 002-0102) and waited 25 minutes in a holding queue. All the lady did was read the online article to me and explain she had no clue what any of it meant but tried to explain what she thought it meant. Bless her heart for trying but, I can't get any information about the ban from Nintendo. I also have a chat conversation from before I called customer service.

Spoiler: Nintendo Customer Support Text Chat

 Chat Representative: Hi, my name is Chat Representative How may I help you?

 Me: Hi. I have a question about the error code 002-0102. Do you have any more information than provided on the support page?

 Chat Representative: The information I have about this error code states that your system has been banned due to unauthorized system modifications, playing unauthorized versions of games, or connecting to official game servers in violation of our terms of service. Because the system was used in ways that violate our terms of service, we are unable to lift the ban on the system, repair it, or assist with transferring content to a new system. That is all we have regarding this error code.

 Me: Ok. Do you have any more information regarding the ban itself?

 Chat Representative: I do not, however our phone Chat Representatives might be able to provide more insight on the reasons.

 Me: Ok. I tried calling on the phone. However, it would not pick up my call. It would sort of answer but hang up immediately.

 Chat Representative: I would recommend trying again. Just to confirm, the number to call is 1-800-255-3700. Chat Representatives are available every day from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM Pacific Time.

 Me: That would be 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time, correct?

 Chat Representative: That is correct.

 Me: Ok. Thank you very much and have a great evening!

Makes sense they didn't have much info to give you. They're probably just representatives at a call center so they probably don't have in-depth information.

 

[Antari]

Might be irrelevant but FE: Echoes got released 19th and many people pirated it early or played with unreleased DLC/Season Pass. Maybe it has something to do with bans happening 3 days after?

2 most used games among banned users, which are repeating all over this thread are Pokemon S/M and FE Echoes. Coincidence?

 

[Veranek]

Offset

That is literally your serial number. Changing it does nothing. If I am wrong, can someone please correct me.

 

[bennyman123abc]

Makes sense they didn't have much info to give you. They're probably just representatives at a call center so they probably don't have in-depth information.

I feel bad for the representative though. I wasted 5 minutes of her time and she seemed so nice. I don't know how she works as a customer support representative.

 

[Broutowicz]

All this really bums me out. Nintendo is actually starting to take action. And i dont think this will be the last time.

 

[nitroBW]

Might be irrelevant but FE: Echoes got released 19th and many people pirated it early or played with unreleased DLC/Season Pass. Maybe it has something to do with bans happening 3 days after?

2 most used games among banned users, which are repeating all over this thread are Pokemon S/M and FE Echoes. Coincidence?

Yes, it's a coincidence. Many users din't pirate to begin with.

 

[RedBlueGreen]

That is literally your serial number. Changing it does nothing. If I am wrong, can someone please correct me.

Changing it can circumvent bans apparently.

 

[TinchoX]

Changing it can circumvent bans apparently.

Proof or it didn't happen.

 

[weirdmageddon]

You need to literally update the console, you can do it without installing cfw, or with installing CFW. The 11.4 firmware came with an access lock to anyone below that version, part of the reason I installed CFW on my console was because I had to forcefully update to 11.4 because I couldn't check Global Missions on Pokemon Moon anymore.

guess im in the same boat
would installing cfw remove soundhax cause i need that for acnl and pokemon
also im new on the block to cfw and i never really delved too much into it because of the higher chances of system bricking or nintendo troubles but if i were to, where should i get started?
or would this be a bad time because id stick out like a sore thumb installing some shady firmware that isnt nintendo licensed while theyre monitoring our systems like fucking hawks

 

[Fsm51]

That is literally your serial number. Changing it does nothing. If I am wrong, can someone please correct me.

It shouldn't, at least not in this situation. I was just saying that I changed it because i was banned (by serial) from the eShop (no other online services were affected!!) and I haven't been banned since. I don't thing it has something to do tho.

Proof or it didn't happen.

Well... I could change it back but that wont prove anything... ban i had was 005-5964.

 

[RedBlueGreen]

Proof or it didn't happen.

There are a lot of users who are saying changing it removed the bans from playing SuMo early. Also, I said apparently not definitely.

 

[TinchoX]

There are a lot of users who are saying changing it removed the bans from playing SuMo early. Also, I said apparently not definitely.

Alright, good enough.

 

[ultros7]

There are a lot of users who are saying changing it removed the bans from playing SuMo early. Also, I said apparently not definitely.

Not exactly. Removing those bans was the same as it was now, replacing localfriendcodeseed_B, nothing else works.
We just changed securityinfo too as a caution measure, nothing more. Just a way to give them less ways to tie the new seed with the old one.

 

[4chanFag]

I dunno if this is helpful or not but it appears to be just a console ban. I went on to YouTube on my Wii u with my nnid linked and no error code. I also went into my friends list on the Wii u and no ban code.

 

[Broutowicz]

One of us should apply for a job at nintendo. Find out why this is happening. Then report back to us