Misc Just wondering...

[extraterrestrial]

This will be a dumb question, so don't be like "Oh my god..." anyways... Why cant we exploit any apps/games/settings for homebrew? like maybe data management like on the 3ds? Just wondering.

 

[Lacius]

Because the security of the Switch is very strong.

To hack the Switch, you need one of the following:

1. An older Switch that is RCM vulnerable
2. A Switch on system version 4.1.0 or lower
3. A Switch with a modchip installed

 

[extraterrestrial]

Because the security of the Switch is very strong.

To hack the Switch, you need one of the following:

1. An older Switch that is RCM vulnerable
2. A Switch on system version 4.1.0 or lower
3. A Switch with a modchip installed

Makes sense. I have the dumb.

 

[Dust2dust]

As Lacius wrote, Nintendo has been very good with security on the Switch. The Fusee (RCM bug) exploit was Nvidia's fault, not Nintendo. Security has improved with each generation of consoles. I have to wonder if Switch 2 (or whatever it's called) will be hackable at all.

 

[Shadow#1]

This will be a dumb question, so don't be like "Oh my god..." anyways... Why cant we exploit any apps/games/settings for homebrew? like maybe data management like on the 3ds? Just wondering.

Because all applications run in a sandbox

 

[iiTzSamurai]

As Lacius wrote, Nintendo has been very good with security on the Switch. The Fusee (RCM bug) exploit was Nvidia's fault, not Nintendo. Security has improved with each generation of consoles. I have to wonder if Switch 2 (or whatever it's called) will be hackable at all.

Everything has a weakness

 

[hippy dave]

Everything has a weakness

That's a very easy thing to say. Now am I gonna believe some random saying an easy thing, or the guy with a proven track record who's spent hundreds of hours investigating the relevant code for any such weakness? It's a tough choice, let me tell you.

 

[deathblade200]

That's a very easy thing to say. Now am I gonna believe some random saying an easy thing, or the guy with a proven track record who's spent hundreds of hours investigating the relevant code for any such weakness? It's a tough choice, let me tell you.

being hard to hack doesn't make it impossible. there will NEVER be an unhackable code because that code would have to be perfect. no human is perfect so nothing they make will ever be perfect no matter what.

 

[hippy dave]

being hard to hack doesn't make it impossible. there will NEVER be an unhackable code because that code would have to be perfect. no human is perfect so nothing they make will ever be perfect no matter what.

It's totally reasonable to say that the whole of the Switch's code will never be unhackable. There are a bunch of unfixed bugs listed on switchbrew. They're no fucking use for achieving a full hack tho. The actual parts of code that would provide the necessary access to take over the system have deliberately been made as small as possible, and as such, it's possible to get them right. And, according to the experts who've been over them in great detail, they have been got right. You can believe what you want, but in the face of hard facts it just sounds delusional.

 

[deathblade200]

It's totally reasonable to say that the whole of the Switch's code will never be unhackable. There are a bunch of unfixed bugs listed on switchbrew. They're no fucking use for achieving a full hack tho. The actual parts of code that would provide the necessary access to take over the system have deliberately been made as small as possible, and as such, it's possible to get them right. And, according to the experts who've been over them in great detail, they have been got right. You can believe what you want, but in the face of hard facts it just sounds delusional.

through the generations I've heard time and time again about how unhackable a device is at this point its old and tired. they all get hacked eventually regardless of how hopeless people feel right now about it

 

[hippy dave]

through the generations I've heard time and time again about how unhackable a device is at this point its old and tired. they all get hacked eventually regardless of how hopeless people feel right now about it

Not everything gets a software hack, and that's counting the old days before software security got good. We're lucky there's a hardware hack that worked straight away on the latest model.
Anyone can keep waiting for software hax if they want, but if their goal is to run homebrew/pirate games while the Switch is still relevant, modchip or unpatched Switch is the way to go.

 

[deathblade200]

Not everything gets a software hack, and that's counting the old days before software security got good. We're lucky there's a hardware hack that worked straight away on the latest model.
Anyone can keep waiting for software hax if they want, but if their goal is to run homebrew/pirate games while the Switch is still relevant, modchip or unpatched Switch is the way to go.

relevance really doesn't matter there is zero reason to feel FOMO about any console. every console that has ever been claimed to be unhackable has been hacked but usually devs are smart enough to save the hacks for end of life so they are less likely to be fixed.

 

[hippy dave]

relevance really doesn't matter there is zero reason to feel FOMO about any console. every console that has ever been claimed to be unhackable has been hacked but usually devs are smart enough to save the hacks for end of life so they are less likely to be fixed.

Ok you're right, relevance is a concept of questionable... relevance. So I'll rephrase, if people want to do the above in the foreseeable future, modchip or unpatched.
Yes saving hacks for end of life is a smart move. Yes it's possible that someone is lying about having a hack. It's also at least as possible that well-hardened security software that's been tested and improved over more than one console generation and is objectively orders of magnitude more secure than previous systems you're talking about might not get a software hack.

 

[ZachyCatGames]

The actual parts of code that would provide the necessary access to take over the system have deliberately been made as small as possible

To go a bit further on this Nintendo's secure monitor, which you'd have to take over to get cfw, is 56KiB as of firmware 14.x, its exposed functionality almost exclusively consists of a set of functions for performing secure cyrpto, and it cannot be directly interacted with in stock (you need to go through spl, which then goes through the kernel). The attack surface is tiny.

 

[anhminh]

As long as modchip and flashcart are profitable, nothing is unhackable.

 

[iiTzSamurai]

That's a very easy thing to say. Now am I gonna believe some random saying an easy thing, or the guy with a proven track record who's spent hundreds of hours investigating the relevant code for any such weakness? It's a tough choice, let me tell you.

you act as if everyone isnt just some random person on a forum????? GTFO

oh wait, my title actually says Well-Known member and not random

 

[hippy dave]

you act as if everyone isnt just some random person on a forum????? GTFO

oh wait, my title actually says Well-Known member and not random

LMK when it says Well-known Reverse Engineer, CFW Author And Exploit Developer

 

[Tomato123]

you act as if everyone isnt just some random person on a forum????? GTFO

oh wait, my title actually says Well-Known member and not random

He was refering to SciresM in terms of the person who has spend hundreds of hours studying the Switch and he says there is unlikely to be anything else exploitable in terms of software. He could always be wrong, it's just that he is a very realiable source for that information.

 

[deathblade200]

He was refering to SciresM in terms of the person who has spend hundreds of hours studying the Switch and he says there is unlikely to be anything else exploitable in terms of software. He could always be wrong, it's just that he is a very realiable source for that information.

the fact is this level of hopelessness always happens without fail with every new device. reminds me of when people claimed vita was unhackable

 

[Tomato123]

the fact is this level of hopelessness always happens without fail with every new device. reminds me of when people claimed vita was unhackable

Anything is possible. Maybe he missed something, like people missed things with the Vita and other 'unhackable' consoles. But security is still getting stronger and entry points fewer and fewer.