Hacking 3DS Virus. Possible?

Does this sound possible?

  • It may be possible.

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • No, that's impossible.

    Votes: 5 62.5%
  • Possible, but Nintendo will prevent it.

    Votes: 2 25.0%

  • Total voters
    8

notmeanymore

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Since the 3DS can get game updates and, presumably, system updates from other 3DS's in the area, could it be possible when and if the 3DS gets hacked for someone to make a virus that spreads from 3DS to 3DS using system updates by simply appearing as 1 system menu ahead? Or do you think Nintendo has thought this through and prevented it?
 
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Nothing is impossible, Ninty will say 3ds is unhackable, Ninty will block Virus, Ninty will pay for making that feature.

but we will mostly need the 3ds's keys for it which we probaply won't get that easily (we don't even have all of the wii yet)
 

koji2009

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If someone can hack the encryptions used by the new 'bark mode' I don't think they'll be able to do anything like that... but it really depends... I don't think any code launched could be pure executable (that is, a bit of code that would be able to launch itself).... but that's not to say someone couldn't make a bit of code that could cause an exploit in a game (and indeed, that may be where the first round of exploits needed to run homebrew may come from) when you go to run the transmitted code... so it's not impossible, but it seems like the type of thing that would be easily patched...

An up to date 3DS firmware would more or less guarantee you protection from something like that.
 

DiscostewSM

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Rydian said:
An unhacked 3DS won't accept unsigned code, it doesn't matter if the sending 3DS will or not.

Heh, people who hack their 3DSs to run unsigned code become targets for viruses. Can't complain to Ninty for them wanting to prevent that which prevents the people from hacking their system.
 

Juanmatron

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Virus =/= Hack

ollepoll said:
Nothing is impossible, Ninty will say 3ds is unhackable, Ninty will block Virus, Ninty will pay for making that feature.

but we will mostly need the 3ds's keys for it which we probaply won't get that easily (we don't even have all of the wii yet)

With people with your philosophy, 3DS will be "unhackeable".
 

koji2009

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Rydian said:
An unhacked 3DS won't accept unsigned code, it doesn't matter if the sending 3DS will or not.

That's the total point of an exploit
tongue.gif
The streetpass is a possible venue for future exploits so it IS a possibility.
 

BlueStar

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Juanmatron said:
Virus =/= Hack

In this case it's one and the same really, you couldn't execute a malicious programme on a 3DS without first being able to somehow make that 3DS run unsigned code.
 

Slyakin

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I don't really see the point. At all, it could be a good thing for hackers because it could "open" the 3DS a little.


But, like Rydian said, a 3DS will never run unsigned code. It's just like that.
 

Rowan

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Slyakin said:
I don't really see the point. At all, it could be a good thing for hackers because it could "open" the 3DS a little.


But, like Rydian said, a 3DS will never run unsigned code. It's just like that.
never say never
 

Dimensional

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If they learned from the Wii, they will have beefed up security in the 3DS. But if someone were to find some way to exploit a hole in that security and obfuscate the code that was used to make that exploit, then there would be a lot that homebrew developers can do.

Right now, all a flash cart needs to run in a certain mode, like DS mode, is the header of a game. That data is what allows a flash cart to run on the DSi so far. It's because the header makes the DSi think it's running a signed Nintendo game, and then suddenly the unsigned code comes in and loads something else.

Right now, this is all just speculation. Nobody really will know if it's possible to make a flash cart that will run on the 3DS because that handheld has yet to be released to the general public.
 

FAST6191

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@ Dimensional perhaps http://hackmii.com/2010/02/lawsuit-coming-in-3-2-1/ is worth a read.

I will second Rydian's response if not for security but for plain lack of desire to brick (corruption checking). If indeed they are going for viral updating (that is transmitted via some form of wireless protocol* and applied without warning) and all we have seen so far is correct said updates could be several megabytes in size (even with a patch format it could get tricky).

*I am curious about power usage.

What I would like to see is a viral (self propogating) hack using short range wireless communications, the closest I have ever seen to such a thing is stuff like the old bluetooth malware (Cabir and the stuff that worked along the same lines).
 

shadowsfm

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i believe the only reason to make a virus for 3ds is to collect credit card information or steal 3ds shopping accounts. anyone that hacks the 3ds won't have that information in their system, because they steal games and people that don't hack it have up-to-date firmware, then there is no point for anyone to make viruses. and there wont be enough people that fall in the gray area to be able to spread the virus
 

Rydian

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Dark Langin said:
yes. If they hack the Nintendo servers well yeah think about that.I think that if somebody gets the "master key" from Nintendo (which is what would be required to make sure the 3DS would accept modified firmware updates even if it thinks it's coming from the server), they'd have much better things to do than brick some 3DS systems.

Like holding it for ransom. Then they'd have something to gain, instead of just causing a loss for Nintendo.

koji2009 said:
QUOTE(Rydian @ Oct 29 2010, 11:00 PM) An unhacked 3DS won't accept unsigned code, it doesn't matter if the sending 3DS will or not.
That's the total point of an exploit
tongue.gif
The streetpass is a possible venue for future exploits so it IS a possibility.
Just like playing games on wifi is a venue for exploits... but has that ever gotten us anything?
tongue.gif


I doubt the 3DS will be able to do much when it's in sleep mode. Not nearly as much as it could do when it's fully running.
 

notmeanymore

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dark2568 said:
The 3DS is like wii, if wii don´t get virus, the 3DS doesn´t get too.I belive it.
It would be pointless to put a virus on the Wii, because just like the PC the user has to choose to execute the file. And anyone with enough brains to get their Wii to a point where it COULD execute an unsigned file, would be able to tell the difference between a virus and a legitimate file.
That's where the 3DS bark mode comes in. Someone with a 3DS that appears 1 system version ahead and an installer file to match would be able to discretely spread this virus and have it install on any 3DS it comes in contact with.

Or possibly, in less malicious terms, if the 3DS gets a cfw for homebrew like the PSP did and this method worked, all you'd need to do is hack one 3DS the hard way and just introduce it to another and it would softmod itself.

QUOTE(shadowsfm @ Oct 30 2010, 03:41 PM) i believe the only reason to make a virus for 3ds is to collect credit card information or steal 3ds shopping accounts. anyone that hacks the 3ds won't have that information in their system, because they steal games and people that don't hack it have up-to-date firmware, then there is no point for anyone to make viruses. and there wont be enough people that fall in the gray area to be able to spread the virus
You're not getting what I mean by 1 system menu ahead. Say your 3DS is at version 1.2, and the latest Nintendo version is also 1.2. Your 3DS wouldn't know that the latest version is 1.2 without being connected to Wifi, so all a hacker would need to do is appear as version 1.3 for your 3DS to pick up on that fact and update immediately.

Now, I can already think of ways for Nintendo to kill this possibility, so don't take anything I say as fact, but still.
 

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