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Nintendo Releasing Updated Switch Hardware to Fight Hackers

Nintendo Releasing Updated Switch Hardware to Fight Hackers

Not long ago, word broke out that the Nintendo Switch had a fatal, hardware-level vulnerability that allowed for hackers to get in and exploit the system, in a way that was reportedly beyond Nintendo’s reach to combat. It was inevitable that Nintendo would not only become aware of this, but take whatever measures it could to do something about that problem. Now, that day has come.

This comes straight from the Nintendo Switch hacking scene. Apparently, there are now Switch units on store shelves that are no longer vulnerable to the exploit, which is currently known as “Fusée Gelée.” As hacker SciresM suggests, Nintendo seems to have used the iPatch system to burn new code into the Nvidia Tegra chip’s ROM, which now cuts off access to the USB recovery mode overflow error that hackers were leveraging to get in the system.

This was really Nintendo’s only option, as the hardware-based hacks meant that a simple firmware update wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything. So while this new batch of Switch systems is no longer vulnerable (until the next hack is developed or discovered of course), any Switch sold before the new ones still are very much wide open. Hacking likely won’t destroy the Switch anytime soon, but I would expect original units to start going up in price, especially as Switch homebrew development advances.

Source: Ars Technica

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