DISCLAIMER
Only contribute if you have made any modifications to your Switch that are not approved by Nintendo. Do NOT submit a report if you have not modified your Switch in any way possible. That is because such a case has a or close to 0% chance of being banned which will skew the data.
Semi-Official Nintendo Switch Ban Form
Can you use the eShop on the Switch? Y/N
If you cannot access the eShop, when was the last time/date you were able to?
Did you restore a clean hack-free NAND before going online? Y/N
Do you get the error code 2181-4008 trying to update your games? Y/N
Do you get error code 2137-7403 trying to update your system firmware? Y/N
Can you login to Nintendo's website using your linked Nintendo Account? Y/N
SX OS used? Y/N
Did you make an SX OS EmuNAND with a clean hack-free NAND then stay offline with it? Y/N
Trimmed .XCI? Y/N
Did you connect to the Internet with SX OS and/or to activate the license? Y/N
Did you play any .XCI files online with a certificate/header? Y/N
Do you have a certificate/header ban (look for error code 2124-4025)? Y/N
Lowest SX Version used when Online/Offline (NOT Switch System Firmware)? X.X/N
What do you use Non-SX OS LayeredFS for? Backups/Modding/Both/N
Did you connect to the Internet with a non-SX OS LayeredFS Inject? Y/N
Played online w/ Non-SX OS Layered FS Injects? Y/N
Did you inject an .XCI certificate using LayeredFS to play online? Y/N
Used DevMenu? Y/N
Installed any .NSP? Y/N
Did you connect to the Internet w/ any .NSP installed? Y/N
Did you play any .NSP installed online? Y/N
Did you perform any CDN/Freeshop downloading with your own Switch's certificate? Y/N
Did you update your .XCI/.NSP games online? CFW/OFW/Both/N
Did you ever use ReiNX? Y/N
Homebrew/non-SX CFW Used? Y/N (Specify any and all homebrew used/crashes/error codes)
Connect to Internet with homebrew/non-SX OS CFW? Y/N
Connect to eShop while using CFW/homebrew? Y/N
AutoRCM? TX/Hekate/Both/N
Did you update your firmware using ChoiDujour or ChoiDujourNX? Y/N
Did you install the exFAT update offline? Y/N
receive-lp1.dg.srv.nintendo.net blocked and/or "Don't Share Usage Information" ticked under "Other Settings"? Y/N
Do you have eclct disabled (look for pm.kip under sysmodules/modules)? Y/N
Do you have creport enabled (look for a folder named 0100000000000036 under titles)? Y/N
What firmware(s) were you on when you cleared error logs prior to going online? Y: X.X.X/N
Wi-Fi settings deleted in CFW? Y/N
Console/Account Region(s)
What device(s) do you use to send payloads with?
Do you enter RCM by bridging pins 9 & 10 together? Y/N
If Banned, provide proof (video preferred)
Additional Comments
Hello, GBATemp! Welcome to (yet another) thread about banned Switches!
"What makes yours more special than the others?"
I'm glad you asked, skeptical temper! This thread is dedicated towards compiling the actions of all Switch owners and comparing them to those who were banned and those who were not. I've also included some other neat bits of information such as detailing what each question means, the different types of bans, and analyzing what actions are more likely to get you banned (and why, if possible). Let's get started, shall we?
Here is a link to a Google Doc Spreadsheet filled with Switch user actions along with their ban statuses:
Click HereSubmitting Ban ReportsBreakdown of the SpreadsheetDifferent Types of Switch BansBest Way to Avoid BansYet-to-be Recognized Ban CausesRemoved CategoriesFAQMiscellaneous RemarksCredits
- This is where you will find information on how the data is compiled and put together as well as a link to the data in its rawest form (publicly). There is also a section on how the dataset can potentially be expanded given certain circumstances are met.
If you are going to reply to this thread or you see someone who has been banned but don't know how to get the most information out of them as quickly as possible, use the above format. I will also be on the lookout for users outside of this thread, especially if they are banned. If you don't mind keeping an extra set of eyes open, we can make this data set as holistic as possible!Let's say you or someone you know was banned but they don't want to go through the hassle of joining GBATemp (who wouldn't want to be a part of us?) I've set up a Google Doc Form to fill out for those in such a boat. The only requirement is that you will need a Gmail account because the "Proof" portion of the survey requires you to upload it to your Google Drive. Also, I will try my best to check no less than once a week so if you submitted a form and its not there yet, give me more time.Although there's many questions covering a broad range of causes, obviously I may have missed one or two minor details that could end up explaining certain bans. Or there are certain patterns users may feel need further research in order to properly study Nintendo's ban strategies. No new categories/questions will be added unless there is proof that a user has been banned for something that is not posed as a current question. The reason for this is because adding more and more unnecessary questions will not only create large amounts of empty white space, but may require additional questioning from users who have already contributed (which is inefficient).
Alright, by now you've probably glanced at the Christmas-colored spreadsheet and are wondering what everything means or want to submit a report of your own. I will explain what each of the columns represent as well as additional information for certain columns as needed.
Colors For your viewing pleasure, not only is all of the data logged as "Y" for "Yes" and "N" for "No", each cell is colored to the corresponding action. Basically green=good, red=bad, and blue=somewhere in the middle. eShop The date a user receives the error code 2124-4007 for trying to use the eShop. May also be confused with an account ban but those are rare. Unbanned The last date a user was not banned. Can be useful for tracking the time between banwaves. Clean NAND Denotes if a user restored a clean, hack-free NAND prior to going online. Hard to verify how clean the backup was but if it was done before hacking, it is indeed clean. Updates Checks if a user can update their games or not. If they are unable to, the error code can be 2181-4008 Atum Identifies if banned from Nintendo's CDN servers by checking for the error code 2137-7403 when trying to update the system firmware. Account Can be checked by trying to log into Nintendo's website using the Nintendo Account linked to the console. SX If you have used SX OS in any capacity, offline or otherwise. SX EmuNAND As of V2.0, SX OS now features EmuNAND. However rather than recreating the NAND on the SD card, it creates a smaller copy of the NAND and stores it in the USER partition. This is dangerous both from a banning and bricking perspective. Trimmed XCI Usage of .XCI files that had their empty data removed in order to make the file smaller. SX Online Indicates whether a user used SX OS with an active Internet connection and/or if they activated their license online via the console. XCI + Cert Online .XCI files injected/dumped with a certificate so it can be played online. It should also be noted that injecting a foreign certificate will flag you for a ban as noted by the well-known hacker, SciresM, here. There is also at least one user who reported a ban despite injecting a certificate from the same game as the one he injected it into so assume matching certificates are unsafe otherwise. Cert Ban Nintendo has the ability to discern when certificates/headers are used illegitimately as compared to the 3DS era. The relevant error code is 2124-4025 which occurs when you try to use the online service of a game that contains the banned certificate/header. Certificate/header also denote the same term. SX Version What version of SX OS used. In the event that anyone has used multiple versions, the lower one is logged. The one exception is if the OS was used offline on a lower firmware, but is used online at a higher firmware. Non-SX LFS DANGEROUS
A file swapping hack that was perverted to play backups. This one has caused most of the bans known to date. TX also began supporting it in SX OS, but the ones who use it in those cases aren't using it for backup launching hence the 'Non-TX' distinction.Non-SX LFS Online DANGEROUS
Reserved for users who used LayeredFS to play backups with an active Internet connection. Can include people who use it for modding as well.Played Non-SX LFS Online DANGEROUS
Using LayeredFS to play backups directly online. Many reasons why this is unsafe not limited to piracy, mismatching files, and a chance of crashing/errors due to it being a WIP hack.Inject Cert via LFS DANGEROUS
Injecting a certificate from a .XCI file into another game using LayeredFS in order to play that game online.DevMenu DANGEROUS
An app that was leaked from an EDEV unit. For reference, this is what I am talking about. A banned user received an e-mail from Nintendo that they were banned due to an illegal ROMID which can only refer to DevMenu. Outside of the program being copyrighted, this can and will get you banned.NSP Similar to .CIA for the 3DS, .NSP is the file format used for titles installed into the Switch. Console must be hacked to install these so simply uninstalling them is not good enough to avoid a ban. NSP Online Having an Internet connection with .NSP files installed either on the system or the SD card but not playing them online. Played NSP Online Used the online services of a .NSP game which can be a major red flag to Nintendo since fake tickets are needed to launch .NSPs you do not own. CDN DANGEROUS
Downloading eShop and update content from Nintendo's CDN servers whether through Freeshop (or its derivatives) and/or a CDN downloader with your own console's certificate. Nintendo can track which console downloads what so the risk of being banned for using these is high.Updated Backups Refers to how people update their games online. Category is stratified between CFW and OFW since some users tend to believe it is safer to update backups in OFW rather than CFW (which has been shown to be false). ReiNX Indicates whether a person has used ReiNX in any capacity, whether online or offline. Homebrew/non-SX CFW Used Usage of any homebrew and/or non-SX OS CFW including crashes and error reports. Homebrew/non-SX CFW Online Usage of any homebrew and/or non-SX OS CFW with an Internet connection. eShop in CFW/homebrew Accessing the eShop while using homebrew and/or CFW. SciresM provides a nice write-up on how eShop access works here which can explain why it may not be safe. AutoRCM Corruption of the Switch's BCT. It is unknown how TX corrupts the BCT hence the distinction in the spreadsheet. Fuse Mismatch Updating the firmware without burning fuses meaning running a firmware that is foreign to the number of fuses currently burnt in the console. exFAT Offline Obtaining the exFAT update without connecting online which involves being on the latest firmware. There are multiple ways of achieving this but all involve hacking one way or another so they are not separated here. GDPR Block A full explanation of this can be found here. In short, you can toggle a certain setting for EUR accounts or block a specific URL to eliminate some of the telemtry sent to Nintendo. Disabled eclct Turning off the eclct sysmodule in Horizon by replacing it with a pm.kip to reduce telemetry sent to Nintendo from the device. creport Shunts all error reports generated from the console to the SD card which prevents them from being transmitted to Nintendo. Logs Cleared DANGEROUS
There is a module known as nx-dreport that clears error logs contained within your device. For best results, this should be run before the console is given any connection to the Internet. Based on this tweet from SciresM, running nx-dreport on firmwares 5 and above may be unsafe. Additionally, Nintendo told a user they were banned for having gone from error logs to no error logs.WiFi Deleted If not in Airplane Mode, the console will automatically connect to any Wi-Fi settings saved if in range. The Switch also has hidden Wi-Fi settings in the form of Nintendo Hotspots that will connect the console online if close enough to one of these. Region The region of the user, both console and account if they differ. Comments The questionnaire's not perfect and there might be something that banned/non-banned users do to retain their particular status. Feel free to add anything that is NOT obvious after answering the questionnaire. Proof Evidence that said user was banned. Video is preferred due to the prevalence of forged imagery via Photoshop. - This section is merely for those who are curious about the different types of ban and wish to find out what type of ban(s) they have. This is not to be used to correlate which actions can lead to which type of ban as a lot of information is tied to games, consoles, and accounts.
Certificate/Header Bans Games require a cert in order to be able to play online. If a user injects a certificate from a different game, it is flagged on Nintendo's servers. From there, they can choose to implement a cert ban meaning any games injected with that header cannot go online. Relevant error code is 2124-4025. SourceNormal Switch Bans Every Switch comes with a certificate much like cartridges so when Nintendo bans a console, they ban that certificate. To be exact, they're restricting that console from using the "dauth" server which handles eShop content, online play, and as of late September game updates as well. The system firmware is the only item obtained through the "atum" server. The error code is either 2124-4007 or 2124-4508 (potentially 2124-4517) for eShop and online play while 2181-4008 is for updating a game. SourceGame-Specific Bans Otherwise known as error code 2124-4027, this started out as a temporary ban for Splatoon 2 players if they were caught "splat bagging". Now it seems to have not only been extended to people who hack their consoles but to other games as well such as Smash. Every case thus far has involved tampering with the save whether its editing, dumping, or even injecting a save. And while no has been escalated to a full console ban yet, Nintendo has enough information to do so. Banned Nintendo Accounts The Switch utilizes Nintendo Accounts for tracking Gold Coins, eShop purchases, and several other things. Nintendo can ban accounts but its rather ineffective by itself in preventing a hacker from going online. That is because accounts are free, unlike consoles, hence why these are usually accompanied with a console ban. CDN bans On account of users abusing CDN downloading, Nintendo rolled out CDN bans in an effort to stop it. Initially Nintendo restricted this to those that did so. Then, they decided to upgrade most bans to CDN bans to prevent future abuse. Currently, CDN bans now only limit system updates since soft bans (normal console bans) limit all other online components. Temporary Bans As of the beginning of August 2019, Nintendo seems to have begun distribution of temporary bans. While the duration, causes, and even how they differ from normal bans are presently unknown, the relevant error code is 2181-4008. Another possible error code is 2181-4017 according to this page. Lastly, 2124-4517 is also theorized to be another temporary ban error code because while Nintendo does not list it as such, people who have experienced the other error codes have seen 2124-4517. Source - So far, the best way to avoid being banned is by making a clean NAND backup before hacking the console and restoring it prior to going online as well as ensuring you stay offline when utilizing hacks. For a guide on not only how to backup but restore your NAND, please click here. Once you click the link, navigate to Extra/Important for the instructions. Note, any NAND dumps/backups made using the ReiNX toolkit are not as "clean" as the ones made with Hekate. This is because Hekate is loaded before you turn on the Switch while the toolkit must be loaded after you are already running a CFW.
The correct process for trying to avoid a ban are as follows:
- Make a clean NAND backup before doing any other hacks/CFW/homebrew using Hekate including boot0/boot1 and raw eMMC GPP (which will become a rawnand.bin)
- Perform any and all hacking offline with the Wi-Fi settings deleted and Airplane Mode to prevent accidental connection to Nintendo Hotspots (think 3DS Spotpass)
- Restore the clean NAND backup as well as boot0/boot1 prior to going online
- Make another NAND backup as well as boot0/boot1 at this point since your NAND has made permanent changes while connected to Nintendo's servers that are not present in your original NAND backup
- Repeat steps 2-4
- This section will be filled with my and other people's ideas for potential unidentified causes for bans. That way, if you or someone you know is filling out the questionnaire and something doesn't add up, it might be worth consulting this section for something that was missed. Who knows, if enough people start reporting the same thing that leads to a ban, it can be officially added to the questionnaire!
Bridging pins 9 & 10 Shorting pins 9 & 10 together is one of the ways to boot RCM but doing so causes the right Joy-Con to malfunction meaning Nintendo may be tracking this modification and subsequently banning users for doing so. Method of Payload Delivery Requested by @OhhSheetz , this can be found under Potential Categories to see if Nintendo is able to detect certain methods of sending payloads over others. Online Cheating/Hacking While people may have gotten away with this in the past, several Splatoon hackers would say that Nintendo isn't tolerating any cheating in online games on the Switch. Using hacks/cheats in private lobbies do not count. - I used to have this category setup on the spreadsheet and in this thread but the majority voted in favor of reinstating the only question I ever removed. However this time, I've removed a question that I know has no bearing on being banned. Will update with more questions should the community ever get tired with any of the remaining.
Enabling Airplane Mode when using any form of hacks. Airplane Mode can get disabled if switching between docked and handheld modes or even entering Sleep Mode. This question has been removed because it delays a ban; it does not prevent it.Not having "Send Error Information" checked under the "System" tab which is at the bottom of "System Settings". Removed because this refers to third-parties, not Nintendo.Whether "Auto-Update Software" is toggled on or off. Not useful since it only pertains to game updates; system updates are downloaded automatically regardless.
- Q: Can I get banned for hacking my Switch?
- A: Yes.
- Q: If I only use homebrew, can I get banned?
- A: Yes.
- Q: Is it safer if I only play backups of games that I legally own?
- A: No, Nintendo doesn't care whether or not you pirate games; they only care if you violate their Terms of Service which you still do if you backup the games you legally purchased. Piracy doesn't ban users, hacking the console does; piracy is illegal and can get you arrested.
- Q: What if I perform a factory reset/system format of my console? Will that prevent me from getting banned?
- A: No because that doesn't remove all traces of CFW/homebrew. Most notably it does not delete any erroneous error logs generated when running CFW/homebrew and the tool to do so has been removed from the public because clearing these can and will lead to a ban.
- Q: Will my account get banned if I hack my console?
- A: No, Nintendo primarily bans the device and not the account. Account bans are limited to severe offences such as when people played Pokemon Sun/Moon online before it was officially released.
- Q: How long does a ban usually take?
- A: Nobody knows. Everyone is banned at random times; some people are banned in minutes while others may wait several months before being banned. There is also no correlation between the length of time a ban is dropped and the actions a user takes before getting banned.
- Q: So how do I avoid getting banned?
- A: Check "Best Way to Avoid Bans" (Or if you have some money to spend, you can buy SX OS and use their EmuNAND).
- Q: Is there anything that will not get me banned?
- A: Android and Lakka are few of the only hacks that will never get you banned.
- Q: I didn't make a clean hack-free NAND backup. How can I restore my console to a pre-hacking state?
- A: It is currently impossible to do so and will likely stay this way. Your best bet is to perform a factory reset and hope Nintendo doesn't ban you for any bogus error codes you created when running CFW/homebrew.
- Q: Is there a way to get unbanned?
- A: Currently there is not and there may never be a way to unban Switch units.
- Q: But on the 3DS it was possible to unban people with seeds. Can't we do the same on the Switch?
- A: The Switch and 3DS handled bans differently. The 3DS used a public seed that wasn't attached to the console so bans were easily avoided by altering the one in ur handheld. The Switch uses console-unique certificates that are also locked behind a 2,048 character key which would take thousands upon thousands of years to crack with the best technology.
- Q: Can I get banned for hacking my Switch?
- The purpose of this thread is solely for the collection of information that may pertain to bans. Data for people who are not yet banned can still be collected to compare to those who are banned to rule out causes for bans.
- The purpose of this thread is NOT to speculate or defend potential reasons for bans. None of us (as far as I know) work for Nintendo so we cannot confirm who they ban, how they ban, or when they ban.
- All of the data collected in this thread is so far comprised of reports that originate from GBATemp, both from within this thread and anywhere else on the Switch sub-section. While I would love to collect data from outside, there are simply too many places to check. If you do see someone whose data is worth adding, either let me know or collect the data using the form and report it here.
- "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." -Sherlock Holmes
- May not be much of an incentive, but I promise to like any posts that contribute towards providing new information to this thread such as new categories, metadata for Nintendo Switch bans, or contributing new data. Grammatical/punctual mistakes may be pointed out but will be awarded based on my mood.
- Let us work together so we can stay one step ahead of Nintendo and leave casualties to a minimum!
CREDITS- @Frexxos :For being the first to write up a questionnaire to pinpoint possible causes
- @SciresM :Write-ups on how Nintendo handles connections to their various online services
- @Darien112 :Made an alternate Google Form for collecting data
- @jjbredesen Publishing the thread on the new GDPR options for EUR Switch users
- @CrisFTW :Suggesting to start asking people about whether or not they are cert banned preemptively
- @PatrickD85 Discovering a way to download eShop content without eXhop
- @Dr.doom :Confirming with Nintendo he was banned due to clean error logs
- And of course each and every single person who not only contributes their information but supports this endeavor!
Last edited by Draxzelex,
