Hacking Any proof GW3DS's code is deliberately malicious?

[elMagnate]

So, is there something that makes us believe that the Gateway team has coded one of their firmwares to brick consoles? And that was intended only for clone users?

If so, then why it backfired and hit Gateway costumers in the face?

This really makes no sense to me. Even though I think a team that profits from basically other people pirating games is morally dubious to say the least, I understand them blocking other flashcarts to not work with their firmawere and updates (that's the same Nintendo does with their consoles, tries to block users from modding their consoles and hardware), but them going to the extent of bricking or trying to brick other users consoles? That's just fucking retarded, isn't it?

I mean, from an amoral, bussiness sense, yeah, some clones offer the same features by copying you. If you block their advance, and you gain more features, some users may consider buying your hardware that provides them with more stuff. But if you brick consoles of the competition's costumers, aren't you kind of alienating them to not try "weird stuff" on their handheld? Not even considering Gateway's own bricks.

If they did this on purpose I'm glad it has exploded them on the face. My Gateway copy works fine, i didn't update to the last 3DS's firmware, I'm on 7.0.14U, i don't know if that has anything to do, or that I barely use the Gateway.

 

[R4iFanboi]

There have been enough discussion on this in several threads.

Basically well known people from 3DS scene confirmed that Gateway intentionally put bricking codes in the firmware.

 

[elMagnate]

There have been enough discussion on this in several threads.

Basically well known people from 3DS scene confirmed that Gateway intentionally put bricking codes in the firmware.

Ok, sorry, but it probably was burried inside a thread. Can you quote some of the scene members though? Did they give any reason why they believe that was Gateway's intention?

 

[R4iFanboi]

Ok, sorry, but it probably was burried inside a thread. Can you quote some of the scene members though? Did they give any reason why they believe that was Gateway's intention?

Sure, give me a moment. I will edit this post.

Edit:

http://gbatemp.net/threads/gw-team-warns-against-modified-launchers.360534/page-8#post-4883749

http://gbatemp.net/threads/gw-team-warns-against-modified-launchers.360534/page-9#post-4883768

Gateway team made a breakthrough but they have made too many mistakes. I think they had a very bad PR since the very beginning (not including the mysterious model with well manicured hands ).

As time passed and as they made more and more money to reach a comfortable point, they started to get cocky in their communication. They probably put this bricking code thinking people will blame clones for it and that people will stop buying clones but it kind of backfired when the code also bricked legitimate Gateway users.

Even then, they refused to take the blame, refused to release a PR telling Gateway users to stop using their latest firmware. At this point they probably don't even care about their reputation.

It's been argued with some proof that this same team also manufactures some PS3 devices called Cobra-ODE or something. Why a company is selling two different products without same brand name. I mean, look at EZ Flash team, they have their devices named by numbers. Why not this team? It's because they could easily stop producing one product. This is why they market their products individually and not tie them together as a brand name. It will not negatively affect all their products.

 

[Vappy]

FYI that account isn't actually neimod, he confirmed as much on irc. Mathieulh is legitimate though. And profi200 and a few others picked apart the code and found one of potentially several routines that functions towards bricking.

 

[elMagnate]

wow, fucking dick move by Gateway. I hope they explain it.

Any possibility that one of the scene members explains this matter in a deeper way? Quoting by the code itself, etc.

This matter should be better spread for getting a proper response from Gateway, I think. Maybe a newspost in gbatemp's home page will be a good start.

 

[Arras]

wow, fucking dick move by Gateway. I hope they explain it.

Any possibility that one of the scene members explains this matter in a deeper way? Quoting by the code itself, etc.

This matter should be better spread for getting a proper response from Gateway, I think. Maybe a newspost in gbatemp's home page will be a good start.

The code itself can't be quoted because it's encrypted, obfuscated and even if it wasn't, it's just a compiled binary that's pretty much impossible to figure out unless you grab a hardware modded 3DS and check exactly what it does.

 

[ground]

Gateway team made a breakthrough but they have made too many mistakes. I think they had a very bad PR since the very beginning (not including the mysterious model with well manicured hands ).

As time passed and as they made more and more money to reach a comfortable point, they started to get cocky in their communication. They probably put this bricking code thinking people will blame clones for it and that people will stop buying clones but it kind of backfired when the code also bricked legitimate Gateway users.

Even then, they refused to take the blame, refused to release a PR telling Gateway users to stop using their latest firmware. At this point they probably don't even care about their reputation.

It's been argued with some proof that this same team also manufactures some PS3 devices called Cobra-ODE or something. Why a company is selling two different products without same brand name. I mean, look at EZ Flash team, they have their devices named by numbers. Why not this team? It's because they could easily stop producing one product. This is why they market their products individually and not tie them together as a brand name. It will not negatively affect all their products.

now this is al speculation,.

I always think they got better in their comminucation. now one knows why they exactly putted in the brick code ( it also could be to just brick the 3ds s of the clone companies). And the fact that they are doing is, is that they maybe care TO much about their reputation. An i never red somewhere that they are slo selling ps3 stuff, so ifnyou could link it thst would be kind

 

[elMagnate]

Gateway team made a breakthrough but they have made too many mistakes. I think they had a very bad PR since the very beginning (not including the mysterious model with well manicured hands ).

As time passed and as they made more and more money to reach a comfortable point, they started to get cocky in their communication. They probably put this bricking code thinking people will blame clones for it and that people will stop buying clones but it kind of backfired when the code also bricked legitimate Gateway users.

Even then, they refused to take the blame, refused to release a PR telling Gateway users to stop using their latest firmware. At this point they probably don't even care about their reputation.

It's been argued with some proof that this same team also manufactures some PS3 devices called Cobra-ODE or something. Why a company is selling two different products without same brand name. I mean, look at EZ Flash team, they have their devices named by numbers. Why not this team? It's because they could easily stop producing one product. This is why they market their products individually and not tie them together as a brand name. It will not negatively affect all their products.

This looks awful, but Gateway had been doing a very good job, besides some delays, about its flashcart. They aren't completely fucked.

I think that if they care enough, they should unbrick or replace any 3DS ownerd by a costumer (basically, showing them the bill/credit card charge/paypal charge...)

About the clone costumers, well, we can't actually ask Gateway to care about them. It's like complaining to Nintendo when you bricked your system by running modified code or hardware.

 

[R4iFanboi]

http://gbatemp.net/threads/gateway-team-and-cobra-team-are-the-same.355240/

You should Google search a little I feel like am spoon feeding.

Yeah well, we don't have any real proof for anything. It could all be termed as speculation but then it's very tricky to present any "REAL" proof.

 

[elMagnate]

The code itself can't be quoted because it's encrypted, obfuscated and even if it wasn't, it's just a compiled binary that's pretty much impossible to figure out unless you grab a hardware modded 3DS and check exactly what it does.

There's probably some way some scene members (the more the better) can explain to the crowds how they did this. If they care enough, I mean. Maybe not by quoting the code, I just said that as an example, but with another way.

Basically, confronting Gateway.

 

[R4iFanboi]

And at this point of time, Gateway will earn a great round of applause if they truly acknowledge that BSOD even for Gateway users is really an issue and a concern and perhaps release a solution for this? And maybe remove the brick code and re-release 2.2b even without multirom and whatever new stuff.

 

[Arras]

There's probably some way some scene members (the more the better) can explain to the crowds how they did this. If they care enough, I mean. Maybe not by quoting the code, I just said that as an example, but with another way.

Basically, confronting Gateway.

http://gbatemp.net/threads/gw-team-warns-against-modified-launchers.360534/page-8#post-4883749
This is basically how it works. Many people have tried to contact Gateway but they always give the same response, which basically comes down to:
"If you get a brick it's because clones don't know what they're doing and made mistakes in copying our code. Gateway is 100% safe and any reports otherwise are written by the Chinese mafia."
They also make sure never to actually comment on the existance of the bricking code. They haven't acknowledged or denied it even once.

 

[Jayro]

I think the bricked 3DS console of legit gateway users is enough proof for me...

 

[Xzi]

I think the bricked 3DS console of legit gateway users is enough proof for me...

I don't think Gateway expected or could have expected the release of the region-free patch for their launcher, which edits out sanity checks the same way clone launchers do. There's no way they had any malicious intent toward their own customers, but yeah, it was clearly deliberate towards clones and even people who use clones.

If the region-free patch hadn't been released at the time it was, I think we all would have assumed that any bricks were the fault of the clone teams' poor coding. At least, for a few weeks more. Which was likely what Gateway had planned for this code and its results.

It backfired, but at least people will think twice about using firmware that is cloned and modified from Gateway's now, IMO.

 

[Jayro]

I don't think the bricking code from gateway's launcher should be used to brick the CONSOLE though, it should be used to brick cloned carts only. Or corrupt+format the SD card of the person using a cloned launcher on a legit gateway card... but bricking the console is just a dick move, no matter how you look at it.

 

[Arras]

I don't think the bricking code from gateway's launcher should be used to brick the CONSOLE though, it should be used to brick cloned carts only. Or corrupt+format the SD card of the person using a cloned launcher on a legit gateway card... but bricking the console is just a dick move, no matter how you look at it.

Bricking the cart is technically just as bad as bricking the console. I could live with SD cart corruption though.

 

[Naridar]

I don't think Gateway expected or could have expected the release of the region-free patch for their launcher, which edits out sanity checks the same way clone launchers do. There's no way they had any malicious intent toward their own customers, but yeah, it was clearly deliberate towards clones and even people who use clones.

If the region-free patch hadn't been released at the time it was, I think we all would have assumed that any bricks were the fault of the clone teams' poor coding. At least, for a few weeks more. Which was likely what Gateway had planned for this code and its results.

It backfired, but at least people will think twice about using firmware that is cloned and modified from Gateway's now, IMO.

But users of legit gateways without the region free patch are getting bricked too.

 

[elMagnate]

But users of legit gateways without the region free patch are getting bricked too.

Is this true?

 

[RachelB]

Is this true?

Yes, it is. Not many, but enough to be worrying.