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.

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.

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: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."

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.