Xbox 360 DVD firmware hacked

by Jennie Lees { Mar 19th 2006 at 8:00PM }

Having spent months delving into the internals of the Xbox 360, a team of hackers at xbox360hacker.net have achieved what they call the "first Xbox 360 hack" and topped it off with a video. This shows a backup copy of PGR3 running on a 360 with modified DVD drive firmware--the firmware hack merely allows non-360 discs to be played in the 360, meaning the console will only run signed, unmodified code.

It's a small but important first step; anyone interested in homebrew code (e.g. Linux) on the 360 will have to wait for further developments. The team responsible isn't releasing the firmware to the public--if you understand the technology behind it, though, you might be able to duplicate their efforts.

Xbox 360 and hacking--the history:
Don't count on modding your Xbox 360: Microsoft exec
Xbox 360: The most hack-proof console ever?
Xbox 360 inches closer to piracy with bootable, modifiable kiosk DVD
Xbox 360 hackers cheat at Hexic, make inroads into hacking the 360

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in; also via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Tags: dvd, firmware, hackers, hacking, security, Xbox 360, xbox 360 hacks, Xbox360, Xbox360Hacks

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

JH @ Mar 19th 2006 8:33PM

I would have been skeptical about this, but they go into very explicit detail on their forums.

Additionally, one of the hackers -- TheSpecialist -- has previously released an XBox1 firmware hack.
I would say that this is the real deal.

It's not an instant path to piracy, but clearly a modchip maker could make a small device to read your drive's firmware (to get it's ID), and then it would reprogram your drive with the new firmware (including your existing ID).

It also looks like the re-written firmware may have to report that all writeable DVDs are infact XBox images. (For their hack they forced it to do so only for PGR3, but you don't want to have game-specific lists on the firmware). Forcing this false reporting of media type would cause some minor problems (eg you couldn't run the Microsoft download-and-burn dvds because of the mismatched IDs), but that's not not too serious.

Anyway, I'll put my best guess for ETA of modchip firmware reader/writer at... 4 months.

dsub @ Mar 19th 2006 8:34PM

I don't understand this hacking stuff. Sure, the homebrew stuff is cool, but the majority of the time the intent of a hack is to pirate software or make "legal backups" of your software. Because the first thing I do when I get a 360 game home is get pissed because I can't copy it. (Sarcastically speaking) If you buy the game, why the hell do you need a backup? In case of a scratch? That's your fault. Take better care of your stuff. When you do the shit it takes these days to copy stuff, you are guranteed to be voiding any warranty you may have, and in most cases risking ruining your system that you spent your hard earned money on. I'll never understand it. I don't mean to sound like a goody-two-shoes but seriously...why must everything be hacked? Just pay for the damn game, it's not that hard. I work like 15 hours a week at a pizza shop and go to school full time and make enough cash to have bought a 360, 6 games and an HDTV. Would I hack it? NO. It's not worth it.

ozymandias @ Mar 19th 2006 8:42PM

Im probably in the minority with this but... this seems like a bad idea. Think about it like this. If people start modding 360s to play pirated games, then it will create a market for selling pirated games or copying games you own and selling them. other than the fact that this IS STEALING, developers might not feel secure making games for a console that has a problem with piracy. (dreamcast?) I want my Gears of War. dont mess this up for everyone please.

t-bone @ Mar 19th 2006 8:48PM

big whup

vakerorokero @ Mar 19th 2006 9:00PM

"developers might not feel secure making games for a console that has a problem with piracy.(dreamcast?)"

Huh? (gamecube?) I missed the whole gamecube piracy!

mrjiggles139 @ Mar 19th 2006 9:03PM

#2..Obviously you just don't get it...Usually, there is no good/important reason to hack something other than to hack it. Plain and simple. Haven't you heard of all of these linux fanatics putting linux on every single electronic item you can think of, including (but not limited to) toasters? There is no rhyme or reason behind it, there isn't supposed to be, that's what makes it hacking. Yea, so this hack doesn't help the homebrew community and the only thing it could probably ever be used for is playing backups, WHO THE HELL CARES? Microsoft made a big mistake this time around by making the firmware insecure like that, and someone was bound to discover this eventually. TheSpecialist didn't do it to promote/support playing backups, he did it as proof of concept, he did it because he COULD do it. That makes him a great hacker.

just my 2 cents :o)

kicing4ssTakingnames @ Mar 19th 2006 9:03PM

WOw Linux on a microsoft system.

shimawn @ Mar 19th 2006 9:15PM

Wow dsub, it seems to me like you have some really close relations to a certain software company. It kinda reminds me of the unusually good posts about Gun of EB Games site. Sure there are people who steal games but that's just the minorty. People are hacking the consoles because it's a chalange for them, it's just what they do. That's why they didn't release the firmware to everyone else, they just want to achieve something. And I'm pretty sure developers won't stop making games just because someone will be able to get it for free.

Anonymous Coward @ Mar 19th 2006 9:18PM

#2:
>If you buy the game, why the hell do you need
>a backup? In case of a scratch? That's your
>fault. Take better care of your stuff.

Is delamination on dual-layered discs also my fault? What about disc warping from unseasonably warm weather? Should I store my discs in a coolroom 24/7?

We're always told that buying a game is buying a *license* to play that game, not an actual copy of the game. But when the media on which the files are stored to access the game is damaged, why should we have to buy another license?

Maybe game companies should allow us to send in scratched discs and for a small fee have them replaced; I believe some do (or did), but it's never been widely publicised.

In the meantime, I'll continue to make backups of my legitimately purchased games, thank you very much.

captain_duck @ Mar 19th 2006 9:19PM

About time heh.

Now i wonder how long it's going to take for the PS3 & revo to get hacked.

James @ Mar 19th 2006 9:42PM

All the system need to do is verify the firmware (or do a firmware check) and this hack is dead.

DocEvil @ Mar 19th 2006 10:01PM

I'm still skeptical, you can see the "hacked" console in the foreground hooked up to the front of the TV but they are very careful not to pan very far right.

There's no evidence here that there isn't a second 360 just off screen hooked up to the rear of the TV that was powered on at the same time to make it appear as though the foreground 360 was 'hacked'.

After all, there is a certain prestige associated with the first people to officially hack the 360. I have no doubt that these guys have a good idea about how the hardware works but I don't find this video to be adequate proof.

The U @ Mar 19th 2006 10:10PM

lol, fake video?

even if they did show every wire, I'm sure people would still come up with some dumbass peeve that makes it fake.

This whole process was well documented on a couple of messageboards, go look it up. This is only of importance because MS said it couldn't be done. Even if the full specifics were released, I seriously doubt the average 360 user could do the things required to it. It's not as easy as softmodding the xbox 1.

The ZeroCorpse @ Mar 19th 2006 10:19PM

Let us be honest, here, guys. You don't want to develop "homebrew" Linux games for your Xbox 360. You want to defeat the copy protection so you can copy games on your computer and steal them from a GameFly subscription, or load MAME on your 360 and play illegal ROMs. Please don't insult our collective intelligence by saying you're working toward some noble goal of liberating the embattled little guy from restrictions on development. You aren't.

At least be up-front about your goals. We all know you're pirates. No amount of B.S. is going to hide your pegleg and eye patch.

Bender @ Mar 19th 2006 10:58PM

I have an xbox that is chipped. Originally I chipped it to play copied games, but in the end, I ended up using the Xbox Media Center software far more than a copied game - I upgraded the hard drive to a 200 Giger and my whole house now uses the xbox as 'media storage', as well as a great player.

I was looking to buy a 360 (it has only been released a week or so ago here in Australia) but as far as I can tell the movie part of it will not stream divx or xvid encoded video. As soon as they hack the 360 and enable it to run a new version of the Xbox Media Center software I'll get one.

Doing so will surely enable piracy, and i'm honest and open enough to say that i'll download game ROMs for it. I'm also going to say that I download ROMs for games on a trial basis, or for an advanced copy. Things take a long time to reach our shores sometimes, and are also banned in some circumstances (GTA, Mark Echo, etc).
If a game rocks, and I've played it for a few hours and think it's great, I'll buy it. Most of the stuff I download I play for 15 mins, decide to not waste me time on it and end up playing online games on my PC again.

It should also be noted that legal backups of games are a GOOD IDEA and should be easier to do. I backup all of my DVD's and i'm glad - the amount of damage those things take when handled by kids is insane.

Dom @ Mar 19th 2006 11:21PM

[quote]14. Let us be honest, here, guys. You don't want to develop "homebrew" Linux games for your Xbox 360. You want to defeat the copy protection so you can copy games on your computer and steal them from a GameFly subscription, or load MAME on your 360 and play illegal ROMs. Please don't insult our collective intelligence by saying you're working toward some noble goal of liberating the embattled little guy from restrictions on development. You aren't.

At least be up-front about your goals. We all know you're pirates. No amount of B.S. is going to hide your pegleg and eye patch.

Posted at 10:19PM on Mar 19th 2006 by The ZeroCorpse[/quote]

Maybe you should research the topic before you enlighten us? TheSpecialist and his team did NOT make this 360 hack or his XBox hack public. The team and The Specialist do not support piracy. You can keep telling yourself hacking is just being done for piracy reasons, but that's simply not the case. Of course you have your bad apples in the scene who only want free games, but you mistake that community for the real community.

A hacked Xbox is capable of many more things than just playing backups or roms. Go look it up sometime, you might find something you like.

gozer @ Mar 19th 2006 11:27PM

CAN'T YOU GUYS SEE THAT HACKING WILL HURT THE GAME INDUSTRY? IF YOU STEAL GAMES THEN MICROSOFT MAY STOP MAKING GAMES AND THEN WHO WILL PAY ME TO COME ON MESSAGE BOARDS AND DEFEND THEM zOMG!?1?1!!!?!?11?

SERIOUSLY GUYZ GROW UP AN STOP BEING 1337 HAX0RZ

Mintz @ Mar 19th 2006 11:37PM

I'm not going to pretend to have researched this or know anything about hacking, but lemme ask you this:

Are YOU able to place a blank CD sticker over a copy of PGR3?

fawazr @ Mar 19th 2006 11:48PM

Personally, I admire hackers. I won't try to slap an ethical judgment on them, but I do admire their tenacity and ability to do something and do it well. Sure, the corporate overlords would be content if we were all mewling idiots that just played whatever they gave us, never bothering to reverse engineer anything, but non-compliant hackers make it more interesting. As far as technology is concerned, the rift between supplier know-how and consumer know-how is quickly closing and that's a very fascinating phenomenon. It took these guys a lot of hard work, studying, and invested time and money, and I can respect all that. And as far as the whole debate is concerned, it really comes down to people who do what they can, standing in opposition to people who do what they want.

crummy @ Mar 20th 2006 12:34AM

Firstly, judging by the video and from what I know of "hackers", this was not done to enable piracy. Microsoft clearly put some significant work into preventing the 360 from being hacked. These guys evidently examined the issue, Microsoft's attempts to prevent hacking, and found a workaround - quite an achievement, but for the sole purpose of hacking (pride, prestige, and just the knowledge that you solved a problem that a giant multi-billion dollar company provided), not piracy.

As they have stated several times, they are not releasing their exact methods *because they do not want to encourage piracy*.

gozer @ Mar 20th 2006 12:44AM

"Comon mate, only hardcore gamers & some of their mainstream friends are ever going to know about chips & copies. A helluva lot more people buy originals than play copies. It is aslo a reason why consoles can be more popular."

dude, i was kidding.

i don't have any modded systems, and probably never will. but i don't begrudge anyone who does. to each their own.

sean @ Mar 20th 2006 12:51AM

HOAX ALERT: There might be a second 360 plugged into the rear input....eh? eh?

Derek @ Mar 20th 2006 1:53AM

#13 - I dont know why we would think its fake, i mean come one how many fake videos come onto the internet weekly? I mean its not like theres 10+ Revolution start up videos on the internet or something, I mean why would they make a fake video?! Its ludicrous I say!

Joe @ Mar 20th 2006 2:01AM

This is real, as posted before, TheSpecialist also had a similar XBox hack. It should be noted that a:) he has not released the details of this hack, although there are posts detailing his progress which modchip makers probably will use to release a version of it, and b:) unlike modchips, this has absolutely no purpose other than to run pirated games; any disc put into the 360 would still need a signed XEX file, which is something that homebrew definitely would not have.

mike @ Mar 20th 2006 4:21AM

like someone said these guys have not released the modified firmware and its probably helped MS by showing them where the weakness is.. expect a mandatory patch soon that checks the checksum of the firmware soon

mike @ Mar 20th 2006 6:18AM

I saw MS Lawyer on Channel 9 (msdn):

we built the xbox 360 on mac hardware chips eh..? Well.. they say you can't hack a mac right? So the 360 won't be hacked...

Buddy.. you're running a windows variant on that thing.. it's dying to be hacked.. no matter if it is running "Apple Chips" (made by IBM... ugh...)

JH @ Mar 20th 2006 6:28AM

@mike and others:

Regarding Microsoft's ability to quickly patch this up (pun intended) (ie very firmware checksum).

The difficulty is that there are already numerous firmwares running on untouched 360's because Microsoft uses a variety of basic $30 DVD drives: Hitachi-LG, Samsung, and others. And even within a brand, each can have different firmware depending on the exact model.

But, and I'm not an expert on this -- I only just read their discussion on the forums -- I would still suspect that you'd want to unplug your 360 from Live. Which is pretty much the best feature of the 360 now anyway.

Thomas Crymes @ Mar 20th 2006 11:56AM

MS never said the 360 would never be hacked. They only said it would be more difficult.

Even they realize that anything, given time, will be cracked and hacked. If a human can devise a way to secure it, another can find a way to defeat that security.

The only thing putting security measures on a console does is stop the people who don't care enough to bother from playing pirated games on their system.

Douglasp @ Mar 20th 2006 3:06PM

I really dont mind the hacking stuff. Homebrew or better media software loading to the xbox, but please please dont start cheating online. There are alot of PC online games are being ruined cause of hacks online.

Tom? @ Mar 20th 2006 3:08PM

Micro$oft fanboys: Stop getting so wet over this. "Please you guys, stop it, i want my Gears of War. You're going to ruin the industry." Makes me gag.

You can't stop people from tweaking and hacking consoles. It's been around since home computers hit the mass consumer market. And to be honest, with companies charging 59.99$ plus sales tax for a game that may or not have replay value is a pretty expensive gamble these days.

The big corporations are counting on this happening. Maybe not so soon. But you can even read the article where that MS exec says: "it's going to be a while until the mod the X360". They already know it'll happen. Like it'll happen eventually when Blu-Ray and HD-DVD recorders start hitting the mass market.

Same thing that happened with the file sharing scandal. If you like certain artist/developer/company so much, eventually you'll buy their original games.

Live and let live.

~T