Hacking Can someone please explain switch keys

[Dominator211]

I'm a noob and I don't quite understand the concept of how lines of code are Nintendo switch games. and i don't know why everyone is scrambling to get them if we cant even use them

 

[nero99]

I'm a noob and I don't quite understand the concept of how lines of code are Nintendo switch games. and i don't know why everyone is scrambling to get them if we cant even use them

They’re used to decrypt game dumps and other switch related things

 

[Dominator211]

They’re used to decrypt game dumps and other switch related things

but we cant use them yet, and if we use them on a lower firmware who knows if they are even going to work

 

[Cubuss]

Gotta Catch Em Al,

 

[Dominator211]

Gotta Catch Em Al,

on this day of my daughters wedding i will grant you one wish

 

[notimp]

Keys are used to validate "that you are who you say you are" in a process of interaction. There are many interactions, on many levels - but basically you could think of it like the thing you saw in cold war movies of the 80s/90s where the president, and the general needed to turn two keys at the same time, to launch a bomb.

If you want to get a little less hollywood, read about John, Mary and their good friend Lisa - (and public key crypto):
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography to get a notion, that there are "different keys", some of which are "very hidden and secretive" by necessity, some less so.

Now - what "key released/found" means on the news circuit, is entirely different. Its bloggers getting excited over any news regarding to new keys found, not understanding what they are needed for, but broadcasting excitement (hype!), which leads to about 50 excited people, that post everywhere, that they are sooo excited - because they presume, they now get stuff for free.

Basically.

The thing with encryption keys in always online/semi force updatable devices is - that many of them can and will get changed very frequently. Lets say - with every major firmware update. So its an endless supply of hopeful hype stories, never to run out..

There are a few important keys we'd still like to have though, but which we probably wont get. First off is Nintendos private key to sign packages. With it we could say "this software is from Nintendo". Modify games - and still make them say, they are from Nintendo, sign our own Firmware packages, and let them still say, that they are from Nintendo... We can't do that. But luckily, we can build a second door into the security level below, to say that a Switch should allow packages from Nintendo and - Bob. (Hi, Bob!)

We'd also very much like to always have the keys to the most recent kernel - which might take some time after every major "key change" Nintendo does with every firmware update. To analyze a few more important processes.

If you want to know what a key looks like - here is one.

1234456

I made it up just for the occasion.

 

[guily6669]

Also about backups it has always been like this, way before a console gets hacked they are dumped all over internet though you can't use them.

And why?

Maybe because some have tons of space to waste so download them for when the console gets hacked, others might be running backups already and won't tell anyone about their hacking method and others probably get them to try to decrypt, see files inside and so on...

 

[Captain_N]

Its kinda annoying when they say master key. The real master key is Nintendo's private key. With that key any application will run on the switch because it will be properly signed. All these keys they are finding are the public decryption keys. Kinda like when you need the title key to decrypt the Wii U WUD iso file. All they do is decrypt. There is also the unique console key that is used to decrypt nand dumps

 

[Socke81]

but we cant use them yet, and if we use them on a lower firmware who knows if they are even going to work

These keys are useful for the development of switch emulators like yuzu.

 

[notimp]

Also about backups it has always been like this, way before a console gets hacked they are dumped all over internet though you can't use them.

And why?

Maybe because some have tons of space to waste so download them for when the console gets hacked, others might be running backups already and won't tell anyone about their hacking method and others probably get them to try to decrypt, see files inside and so on...

Race to be first, I guess there is an economy for being the first "well stocked" source as well. Decrypting - once it becomes available is faster than starting the aggregation process all over. (For some people its not always "whats easyest", but rather "whats fastest".)

 

[mikey420]

The "switch keys" are but a set of keys used for decrypting retail games. In short it means we can decrypt games without the switch its self. No these keys do not allow us to resign any content. Content is signed by a keyset that is well guarded. These would be the keys to be hyped about but alas finding the master signature keystring is not easy (this would be like the key released for PS3 that geohot got sued over which was only ever calculated do to a serious mistake in sonys implimentation of there crypto system for the ps3.) As for these master keys they can decrypt encrypted file contents and allow us to take a deeper look at whats inside. Its also handy for emulators as when they reach a point of functional enough to play retail games the dumps being used wont need to be decrypted before playing as they can be decrypted by the emulator on the fly. Beyond that these keys are mostly useless. Though they would be beneficial for game mod makers (again you dont have to use any hacking trickery to get the switch to decrypt the game dumps. You can do so from any comouter with these keys)

 

[notimp]

Mistake was: Use random number. Make sure it is 4.

Hah, we laughed for days..

 

[TiMeBoMb4u2]

but we cant use them yet, and if we use them on a lower firmware who knows if they are even going to work

Yes; you can. The keys that have been "leaked" or "derived" are usable, right now, on firmware versions 1.0.0-3.0.2. SciresM's "hactool" requires some of them for use.

Its kinda annoying when they say master key. The real master key is Nintendo's private key. With that key any application will run on the switch because it will be properly signed. All these keys they are finding are the public decryption keys. Kinda like when you need the title key to decrypt the Wii U WUD iso file. All they do is decrypt. There is also the unique console key that is used to decrypt nand dumps

There are actually quite a few Switch console keys, and there will be more in the future.
Right now, the public has access to twenty-nine (29) non-console-specific keys, which work for firmware versions 1.0.0-3.0.2. Thirteen (13) have been "leaked" and sixteen (16) have been, or can be, derived.
There are additional keys that have been discovered and derived, but they are currently privately held.
You can see a list of the publicly-known keys here: https://gbatemp.net/threads/number-of-switch-keys-dont-ask-for-them.499218/

 

[Naked_Snake]

Which keys are console specific