360 Hacked To Play Backups

xorkid writes "Microsoft Corps ' unhackable' Xbox 360 console has been hacked. It is now possible to play copied games from recordable DVD DL discs without any soldering or hardware modification. The ingenious hack involves replacing the original 360 DVD firmware with a modified version that authenticates recorded DVD DL discs as original game discs. The hack does not require any modification devices but it requires a 1:1 copy of an original signed disc from the same region as the console. So it does not allow booting of unsigned code, yet. No Linux on the 360 for now, but its a start. There are rumours that there is an as-of-yet unreleased version that allows booting of unsigned code."

Comments

Re:But does it run linux...

[Oldsmobile]

Tux Racer! Oh joy!

What a great way to spend 300 bucks.

Complex Guide

[CogDissident]

These instructions are relatively complex, hopefully there will be a simplified and streamlined step-by-step guide posted sometime soon so most technically-literate people can mod their boxes like this.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Once again...

[The_Isle_of_Mark]

Never, never, ever say something is unhackable. Someone out there with a much bigger brain than the developers will see it as a personal challenge.

Re:Once again...

[generic-man]

Nobody but Slashdot said the 360 was "unhackable.' The quote in the BBC article linked from the summary says: "Microsoft plans to make its next generation games console, the Xbox 360, as difficult as possible to hack." (emphasis added)

I attended a Microsoft presentation last year before the 360's release. The engineers there said that the console wouldn't be totally immune to hacking, they just want (a) to make sure that it's very hard/costly/complex to hack it and (b) to keep hacked 360s off of Live. From the linked article about the hack:

"Can Microsoft detect it via Xbox LIVE? They probably can ... and when they start checking they will probably act like with the Xbox1, ban your Xbox 360 console serial for life from the LIVE servers ... or maybe even more, who knows what they are planning. You've been warned!"

Re:Once again...

[pete-classic]

That's not the risk. The problem is thousands of people, some of whom are more perverse thinkers than the engineers, will take it as a personal challenge.

-Peter

Re:will this hurt game development?

[hubs99]

I doubt this would sincerely come across most developers minds. If past game systems are any indictation it doesn't seem to have any effect. One of the least hackable systems in last generation of systems, the gamecube, had the fewest developers. Also most companies will try to hit both markets if at all possible.

The article also concludes that MS will most likely find a way to detect this firmware via LIVE and force a Firmware upgrade or boot you from LIVE.

Coming soon in Xbox720

[voice_of_all_reason]

Me: "Xbox, report."

Xbox: (sounding suspiciously like Majel Barrett) "Working... Verifying disc integrity with Microsoft servers."

Me: Um, hey. How about you open up the tray and let me have that back?"

Xbox: "I'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that."

(cue blaring klaxons, pan to to the horrified expression on my face as MS agents repelling through the windows with drawn MP40s)

An iceberg?

[the dark hero]

Hah! Nonsense. This ship is unsinkable!

Interesting....

[caffeinatedOnline]

As E3 just gets over and the next-gen console wars start to heat up, a hack for the 360 comes out allowing for 'backup' games to be run. Now, I realize that MS loses money with each console sold, but how many people wait to buy a console till a way comes out to play 'backup' games?

I know many people that didn't own an original Xbox till they found out how easy it was to hack it, then ran out to get one. I am sure that MS will shut down Live for any systems that are running this hack just as they did for the Xbox running the softmod hack, but could this be something that MS planned on to sell more systems?

Re:Dual layer DVD burners are still hard to come b

[CelticWhisper]

$300? Where have you been shopping? NewEgg has NEC, Lite-On, Plextor, and other drives for about $40. TigerDirect has a good selection too.

I have two dual-layer burners that, with enclosures and shipping, probably cost me $200 max.

Might as well get 'em while they're hot. Here, linkage: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82 E16827152059

Re:No hardware modifications? What?

[Kufat]

I think they meant "no hardware modifications" in the sense that "you won't have to buy and/or solder anything." This is a pretty common idea in the modding community; for example, a modification that requires you to open the xbox and attach the HD to a PC is considered a softmod.

Per-Xbox

[Have Blue]

It sounds like this hack is a procedure that has to be performed for each 360, not a universal key that can be mass-produced like an Xbox 1 chip. And of course expect a new rev of the 360 that breaks this to hit pretty soon (or, as a stopgap, all 360s start using the Hitachi drive).

Re:Per-Xbox

[Kjella]

Of course, those chips also need to be distributed and installed - one chip per xbox. Unless I missed something here, this is a no chip solution. You can take your xbox360 to anyone intelligent enough to read instructions and flash firmware, and walk out with a modded xbox360. Hell, everyone on slashdot can do it now as long as they got the right kind. No, this one might be fixed in a new revision but how many vunerable consoles are there? A million or more? Not to mention the method should work on the other drive as well - since there's no firmware confirmation code, all it takes is another firmware job. So I'd estimate all the xbox360s to date will become moddable.

How is this different from the earlier "hack"?

[YU Nicks NE Way]

It looks like it's just another "hack the DVD drive to run copies of games", right? Geez. So it's just a way to run pirated copies, not even a way to build a homebrew system -- and it involves opening up the box and reflashing the firmware? And, of course, it's easy to mitigate; bets on whether the next rev of the 360 checks the DVD firmware signature on boot up?

Re:From the freaking-inevitable dept.

[flooey]

I always love it when anything, anywhere is called "unhackable" because in the real world, absolutely nothing is. Microsoft (of all companies) should have seen this coming, having been founded by a bunch of hackers, having tons of highly-paid hackers on staff, and having many of the arguably most-pirated apps out there.

I always love it when people attribute phrases to people who didn't say them, personally :) From the article linked to:

But Mr Satchell admitted no system was fool-proof and that, with enough time and dedication, the security on the Xbox 360 would be broken.

"There're some really bright people in the world with some really expensive hardware," he said.

"I'm sure sooner or later someone will work out how to circumvent security. But the way we have done the design doesn't mean that it will work on somebody else's machine."

The Linux Game

[Nom du Keyboard]

Why hasn't anyone ever invented The Linux Game? Create a signed game, pay royalities to the game console provider, scream MONOPOLY at the top of your lungs if the refuse you, and have a running Linux OS on the game console. Might be a best seller.

At what point was it unhackable?

[Evil Closet Monkey]

When was is claimed that the XBox 360 was "unhackable"? I recall the several interviews in which it was cliamed that the 360 would be more difficult to hack and that a good deal of effort was put in to closing previously exploited routes (or making them even more difficult to exploit), but I can't seem to remember when a Microsoft rep flat out claimed that the 360 was "unhackable". The linked article linked claiming an "unhackable" 360 doesn't even make such a claim.

Of course, I realize it is cool to take things Microsoft says out of context the company is not made up by idiots (again, despite what many want to believe). They know it is going to be hacked. They're going to make every effort to make it as difficult as possible. But they aren't going to claim the ship is unsinkable.

Although, if I simply missed that article where the "unhackable" claim was made I look forward to a chuckle at Microsoft's expense. Perhaps someone could link that article though, since it isn't in the article summary.

Re:Dual layer DVD burners are still hard to come b

[Kenshin]

Most DVD burners I see on the market nowadays have DL support. I even got mine two years ago for $150.

NOW, DL media on the other hand... that stuff is still ridiculously expensive. ($5/disc? No thanks.)

Re:Wow, that took a long time...

[nomadic]

From the article they link to that allegedly calls the Xbox 360 hackproof:

But Mr Satchell [MS employee involved with the Xbox design] admitted no system was fool-proof and that, with enough time and dedication, the security on the Xbox 360 would be broken. "There're some really bright people in the world with some really expensive hardware," he said.

They never said it was unhackable. In fact, they said the opposite. Slashdot just likes to make up quotes to provide ammo to criticize.

I'm having trouble hearing Microsoft...

[Doomstalk]

...through all the words you put in their mouth. The article linked in the story does not claim that the system is unhackable, just that it's significantly harder to hack than previous systems. Taken directly from that story: "I'm sure sooner or later someone will work out how to circumvent security. But the way we have done the design doesn't mean that it will work on somebody else's machine." That's remarkably pragmatic considering the blanket claim you're attributing to them.

The difference

[Rowan_u]

The difference this time around is the significant percentage of 360 owners who also use the Live service in some form or another. To put it very simply, an Xbox 360 without Live is a crippled machine, drastically reducing the incentive to use this hack. A piece of hardware can always be hacked; however, a well maintained online service is a moving target that cannot be consistently hacked. The PSP is a good example of this in practice, with hacks being stamped out by firmware upgrades as fast as homebrewers can write them. Perhaps we have finally entered into the era of the unhackable console after all.

Re:It's done that before

[OmegaBlac]

E.g., they never had a problem giving away IE or MS Media Player,

Bad examples. Does giving IE and WMP away for free cost Microsoft $4 Billion plus in losses like the Xbox did? The Xbox & 360 continue to incur Microsoft expenses with the manufacturing of each new unit. There is no additional cost for Microsoft to make more copies of IE and WMP.

Re:Let The Banning And Bricking Begin!

[xtracto]

...this process is becoming more complex, meaning that the average Joe/Jane who tries these hacks is more likely to totally disable (ie "brick") the console...

That is quite stupid if you tell me, at least in Mexico average Jose/Maria either buys their "modified" console at Tepito Market where it is set up by Mexican engineers who can not get a real job and apply their knowledge doing that.

Oh and if you wondered, all the consoles "va garantizado jefe" ("it is warranted boss") so if it does not play the USD$5 backups (some even test your unit there to make shure it works) you can return it.

I got my modded Xbox over a similar market (it is called Pericoapa) with a 80GB disk full of games (both emulated and non emulated) and 3 "backup" DVD games.

I am *REALLY* sure they will provide XBOX360 service in _no time_