UPDATE: Regarding the recent 3DS banwave

fb-3ds-400x400.jpg

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 !
 

MollyChan

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I didn't seem to get a response when i first asked this, but
If doing a system format and then restoring the NAND from before CFW happened would avoid a ban if Nintendo hasn't already flagged the console to be banned
And changing the friendcodeseed to one from an unbanned 3DS causes the 3DS to be unbanned until Nintendo re-notices CFW and re-applies the ban on the new seed

Would one be able to change the friendcodeseed, system format, and then NAND restore to avoid it completely? (or potentially do system format, NAND restore, and then friendcodeseed change)

EDIT: Also, does the NNID need to be unlinked and then re-linked before and after the NAND restore, or is it possible to just leave it connected to the console and have everything as it was before?
 
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OrGoN3

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Do we know yet what they actually banned? Our NNID, or our console? And does using a different movable.sed with a new key unban us?
 

Ghost Liberator

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I have my little hypothesis about how Nintendo would have recognized the haxxed consoles. Now now i don't really know if Luma3ds does really change something that may be sent to nintendo, but it if it does then it's possible that not only the history of software used, downloaded software compared to historical charges and accountable money processed or title ids from software other than nintendo's and the tickets, but as far as i know there is no such thing as "Sys 11.4" or "Emu 11.4", for nintendo there only exists "Ver. 11.4", maybe the information sent through spotpass to nintendo's servers included the "Sys" and "Emu" prefixes instead of "Ver." which could tell obvious that the system is modified as, again, for Nintendo there exists no such thing because, yet again, the only prefix for telling the firmware version is "Ver.".

As far as keepin' one away from the possibility of a ban, if my hypothesis proves itself true, then we are pretty much screwed because we already sent our console firmware string as "Sys x.x.x-x" or "Emu x.x.x-x" instead of the official "Ver. x.x.x-x" and thus if we unban ourselves but keep the console firmware string as that we will just keep getting baned over and over.
 

SkittleDash

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Do we know yet what they actually banned? Our NNID, or our console? And does using a different movable.sed with a new key unban us?

Can't be NNID ban, otherwise people could just create a new NNID and we wouldn't be having this conversation. lol
 

pilladoll

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Uncle ninty just banned me =)
*Never played online
*never modified a save or a pokemon
*WiFi always off (unless there's a dlc I want to download via Fbi)
*No nnid, no spotpass, never used miiverse.
*never added a friend code

Only thing I did yesterday was upgrading to boot9strap.
 

ArturDat3DS

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I have my little hypothesis about how Nintendo would have recognized the haxxed consoles. Now now i don't really know if Luma3ds does really change something that may be sent to nintendo, but it if it does then it's possible that not only the history of software used, downloaded software compared to historical charges and accountable money processed or title ids from software other than nintendo's and the tickets, but as far as i know there is no such thing as "Sys 11.4" or "Emu 11.4", for nintendo there only exists "Ver. 11.4", maybe the information sent through spotpass to nintendo's servers included the "Sys" and "Emu" prefixes instead of "Ver." which could tell obvious that the system is modified as, again, for Nintendo there exists no such thing because, yet again, the only prefix for telling the firmware version is "Ver.".

As far as keepin' one away from the possibility of a ban, if my hypothesis proves itself true, then we are pretty much screwed because we already sent our console firmware string as "Sys x.x.x-x" or "Emu x.x.x-x" instead of the official "Ver. x.x.x-x" and thus if we unban ourselves but keep the console firmware string as that we will just keep getting baned over and over.
I turned the custom strings off a month ago and wasn't banned till now
 

TinchoX

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Uncle ninty just banned me =)
*Never played online
*never modified a save or a pokemon
*WiFi always off (unless there's a dlc I want to download via Fbi)
*No nnid, no spotpass, never used miiverse.
*never added a friend code

Only thing I did yesterday was upgrading to boot9strap.

Awww, welcome to the family.

Edit: The quote was lost in time & space.
 
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3DSBurg

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I have my little hypothesis about how Nintendo would have recognized the haxxed consoles. Now now i don't really know if Luma3ds does really change something that may be sent to nintendo, but it if it does then it's possible that not only the history of software used, downloaded software compared to historical charges and accountable money processed or title ids from software other than nintendo's and the tickets, but as far as i know there is no such thing as "Sys 11.4" or "Emu 11.4", for nintendo there only exists "Ver. 11.4", maybe the information sent through spotpass to nintendo's servers included the "Sys" and "Emu" prefixes instead of "Ver." which could tell obvious that the system is modified as, again, for Nintendo there exists no such thing because, yet again, the only prefix for telling the firmware version is "Ver.".

As far as keepin' one away from the possibility of a ban, if my hypothesis proves itself true, then we are pretty much screwed because we already sent our console firmware string as "Sys x.x.x-x" or "Emu x.x.x-x" instead of the official "Ver. x.x.x-x" and thus if we unban ourselves but keep the console firmware string as that we will just keep getting baned over and over.

Good theory. Has anyone ran WireShark and looked at a clean vs banned console's request to Nintendo's server? I remember seeing a wireshark post a while back, but I can't find it, and I'm not all sure what was posted.
 

arcanine

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Right, so it might be best if we kept quiet and let the professionals work this out instead of acting like we know exactly what to do.
Well if the "professionals" provide some evidence that this is what they're doing then of course I'll gladly keep out of it. But for the last nearly 300 pages all we've seen is bickering and frantic reporting of "I've been banned and this is my situation" or "I'm fine and this is my situation". This is really unhelpful. Until such time as the people gathering the data make it clear how they are intending to use it, I don't see anything wrong with making a suggestion for how best to go about it.
 

ArturDat3DS

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Uncle ninty just banned me =)
*Never played online
*never modified a save or a pokemon
*WiFi always off (unless there's a dlc I want to download via Fbi)
*No nnid, no spotpass, never used miiverse.
*never added a friend code

Only thing I did yesterday was upgrading to boot9strap.
How did you check if you're banned with no NNID?
 

OrGoN3

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Good theory. Has anyone ran WireShark and looked at a clean vs banned console's request to Nintendo's server? I remember seeing a wireshark post a while back, but I can't find it, and I'm not all sure what was posted.
Ok, but what about the countless number of bans to people who didn't modify their version string?
 
D

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I have my little hypothesis about how Nintendo would have recognized the haxxed consoles. Now now i don't really know if Luma3ds does really change something that may be sent to nintendo, but it if it does then it's possible that not only the history of software used, downloaded software compared to historical charges and accountable money processed or title ids from software other than nintendo's and the tickets, but as far as i know there is no such thing as "Sys 11.4" or "Emu 11.4", for nintendo there only exists "Ver. 11.4", maybe the information sent through spotpass to nintendo's servers included the "Sys" and "Emu" prefixes instead of "Ver." which could tell obvious that the system is modified as, again, for Nintendo there exists no such thing because, yet again, the only prefix for telling the firmware version is "Ver.".

As far as keepin' one away from the possibility of a ban, if my hypothesis proves itself true, then we are pretty much screwed because we already sent our console firmware string as "Sys x.x.x-x" or "Emu x.x.x-x" instead of the official "Ver. x.x.x-x" and thus if we unban ourselves but keep the console firmware string as that we will just keep getting baned over and over.
Platinum Lucario was banned on a never touched 3DS.
 

whateverg1012

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I've been playing Monster Hunter XX (english patched, freeshop downloaded) online and still haven't been banned. Disabled all the spotpass and title showing stuff.
 

toberkel

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Yep. See my previous posts in this thread. It is all total speculation until we actually gather the required data in a way which is collated and comparable across users. I have said this several times but nobody seems to be listening. Until somebody who understands how to carry out statistical analysis takes control of the polling we will be unable to work out the pattern.
Thx for telling people again. They always forget it or haven't red the whole thread or enough to get the information. I was banned 5 hours before this thread was opened. And I think I was one of the first bands at all, at least because I haven't found something on the Internet at first. After a few hours first pictures and infos were "leaked" about the banwave. I've red every single comment on this thread since I'm online here 24/7 for not missing any just a little bit important information. Even since if it's all speculation. So please guys, always remember. Nothing is proofed, nobody is safe. Untill the professional devs figured out the pattern. Devs are working on it privat as I said before. Don't ask for a release of information of them. They working private to concentrate and prevent noise from outside. Only trusted and known developers are involved! (not me, I wouldn't never be able to find a workaround or a fix, since I'm not a professional dev or something. All this info is from Discord server from 3ds Guide ) sorry if I used to build in grammar mistakes or type mistakes since I'm German and my keyboard is tryna correct every englisch word to something German. :)
 
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