Xbox 360 H4xx0rz admit their hackjob is useless
by Conrad Quilty-Harper 
{ Mar 26th 2006 at 8:00AM }
After previously boasting about a
DVD firmware hack that made it possible to run a backup copy of Project Gotham Racing 3 on a modified Xbox 360, one of
the hackers behind the mod has joined Microsoft in calling it "useless". Apparently the mod is useless to the
general public due to its complexity (the mod "requires that the flash chip is removed from the drive circuit
board and inserted into a special flash programming device") and the fact that it could easily destroy an
Xbox 360 in the wrong hands.However we must agree with one of the other members of the mod team when he said "given the complexity of the software it seems unlikely that there's no [other] way in." Did you know: Microsoft also make a popular operating system called Windows, an OS notorious for its backdoor vulnerabilities.
[Thanks, striegs]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jimmy @ Mar 26th 2006 8:20AM
ya the dirst concern was will we have to removie the drive chip and burn it, or can we flash it easily...
teamxecuter has already made it easily successful to hook drive to pc and flash via software... so it will be done
as this smells like some MS detering propoganda :)
Gandalf @ Mar 26th 2006 9:14AM
@#2: Full Ack. That has method.
btw i think this hack is still bogus. he should show a video where we can see the back of the TV. Also i would like to see the laser move inside while he is playing.
Jason W @ Mar 26th 2006 9:45AM
Did you know that this website called Joystiq always puts at least one negative comment in any story that deals with MS. They also give bashers starts and people who enjoy this monolithic large company over the other monolithic large company negative stars.
As for the hack, one day they all will be hacked. Its just the way of the world. Im not going to spend 2k on a hack to buy the stuff needded to run back up games. Its just not worth it.
slow news day @ Mar 26th 2006 9:51AM
Flashing the chip is certainly not 'mainstream'
And I dunno, I think it's a little unwise to broadcast your technique, because well Microsoft will certainly attempt to address it.
Hagrin @ Mar 26th 2006 10:38AM
I think everyone is sort of missing the point.
As the hacker has said in his interviews, the whole point of trying to hack the Xbox 360 was because they said it could not be done. They weren't concerned with usability, releasing it to the masses, creation of modchips, etc. The entire objective was to take a backup copy of a game and run it on the Xbox 360.
They've since then basically stopped working on the project - they are still tweaking the process some, but once Microsoft pushes a change, they will not being playing the cat and mouse game.
It's all about whether or not it could be done, not whether or not Joe Schmoe could actually use it.
robert @ Mar 26th 2006 11:09AM
Even if the hacks are successful, couldn't MS do the same thing and flash your EEPROM or chip with an update from XBL?
shadekh @ Mar 26th 2006 12:29PM
while its useless in the sense its too complex for normal users, it isnt for the pirates out there. In asia, almost all consoles are modded from the get go, you dont buy modchips here, but simply buy them modded.
Its not inconceivable for a pirate company to set up a small facility to do this hack ad-nauseum and sell the modified xbox 360's to the public. That would be a better option than closing up their business once the next gen consoles become mainstream. And the process itself is simple in a sense, just reflashing the chip...all it needs is a little bit of practice and some special hardware. How is this useless??
Conrad Quilty-Harper @ Mar 26th 2006 1:12PM
Jason, you can't imagine how tiresome it gets to be constantly accused of having a Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo bias. Of course it's easy for you to say we have a Microsoft bias when you read *one article* that happens to be negative towards Microsoft, but if you read an equal number of articles on the other big two companies you'd find we were equally critical of all companies' activities.
Bran @ Mar 26th 2006 2:19PM
Everyone, including joystiq, except #1 is so far behind on this info. You guys are wasting your breath. Xecuter is continuing the work after the original team supplied the information. It's become a process of flashing via the pc now. No chip removal or any of that nonsense.
And #3, whoever told you it'll cost 2k to run a backup on your console is grossly misinformed. The cube, ps2, and xbox all have chips with solderless install for less than $50.
g0atbutt @ Mar 26th 2006 2:46PM
This is why joystiq shouldn't report scene news. It won't be that complex when xecuter releases their new product http://www.teamxecuter.com/ .
Then it will be as simple as upgrading your firmware on your dvd burner ect. They are very close to releasing their own f/w, and then it will be no problem. And to the person who said they shouldn't say their technique.... It's the scene! You're supposed to share information, and on top of that, there isn't a whole lot Microsoft can do about it. Let me explain, if Microsoft does an update that forces the firmware to be updated, we can just modify the firmware (because that is in our control), to tell it that it’s running the latest version. At worst, it would be a cat and mouse game for a while.
god @ Mar 26th 2006 2:48PM
this artical is bs like most propiganda articals, seccondly the whole point is that it does work, but they just need an easier way to do it. :O
mirobin @ Mar 26th 2006 7:06PM
#10, you're assuming that they'd use such a simple and easily defeated authentication scheme.
Given that you can send commands to the drive retrieve the firmware, it would be a simple matter to "verify" the firmware on the drive by downloading it and comparing it with a known valid copy.
The firmware has a limited amount of storage space -- it doesn't have space available to store both a hacked copy and a "valid" copy.
Which then means of course you need to have two chips on board, and a way to switch between the two (accounting for the fact that the offsets into the hacked/nonhacked firmware may not be the same). AND you need to do it the short time between the "firmware validation" check and the media check... Which means you're looking at a hardware modification again (instead of a firmware update).
Josh @ Mar 26th 2006 8:19PM
Seriously though, modders have the shittiest lifes... Trying to rip a company off by making some bull mod, how about you pov suns of bitches go and buy a game, ever thought of that? Get a job would help too... Still think Microsoft should sue these 'Hackers' for millions.
Josh @ Mar 26th 2006 8:21PM
you know whats funny though all you people talking in all that geek language why the fuck do you even care about mods? god i bet every one of you are the cave man type that hide in there room with gothic music playing softly so the police wouldn't tell you to turn it down oh you wouldnt know what to do eh that's called MEETING people.
steve jabs @ Mar 27th 2006 1:55AM
"btw i think this hack is still bogus. he should show a video where we can see the back of the TV. Also i would like to see the laser move inside while he is playing."
you're a moron. there is a video of it plugged into the front of the tv, secondly tv's that small generally dont have any component plugs in the back, and third the laser does move.
onto everyone else. the xecuter website also shows that you dont have to remove any chips at all. the goal is to take the dvd rom from the x360 to a pc, flash it with software, then put it back in the x360. no soldering, no screwing anything up. god forbid if it wouldnt work and you had a backup before the flash you'll be fine. simply put, you dont need to do anything insanely hard or damaging to your xbox.
Flopik @ Mar 27th 2006 8:07AM
This flaw for Windows is not a backdoor , they can upload new code via Windows Update already ..
Paul @ Mar 27th 2006 8:21AM
@ #13: "microsoft should sue...." how many kids or people you know can afford £50.00 (about 87 usd) for a game that is no better than current gen games (except maybe better graphics). I think we should be sueing MS and Sony for price fixing (PSPs and UMDs should have come down heaps in price by now)...... Besides the majority of X360 purchases are made by people who are likely to never use hacks (purely due to lack of knowhow) and will purchase the latest crap spin off bull$ it that is released.
And I can't see things getting better with the PS3 either (due to their recent firmware woes).....
KingAnon @ Mar 27th 2006 8:55AM
It's Propoganda, Microsoft Just Doesn't Want You To Know The Hack Of There 360 Is Anything But Useless, Good Job On The Hacking This System...
"one of the hackers behind the mod has joined Microsoft in calling it useless"
Keywords: Joined, Microsoft
Yep, I Don't Believe A Word This "Hacker" Has Said About It Being Useless...Plus He's A Sellout.
Xavier @ Mar 27th 2006 12:41PM
Here is a video of them using a burned copy of PGR on the 360 http://youtube.com/watch?v=XyZQ4k7Bi-8
sliu @ Mar 27th 2006 2:48PM
but then maybe MS did it (security) right with xbox 360. which maybe why they are getting that team to do winVista
Haenk @ Mar 28th 2006 3:42PM
Good thing there are FirmWare flasher for various drive brands available. I would imagine something like: remove drive from XBOX, attach it to your PC, run the flasher app, reinstall into XBOX - done.
Curry @ Mar 28th 2006 6:21PM
Why didn't my interview with Robinsod make Joystiq news (http://www.xboxic.com/news/501) but some crappy Australian site making a very bad and in places awfully wrong summary of it does?
I don't care about making Joystiq news, but I do care about getting cited this bad. Robinsod never called the hack useless, he said: "This hack is useless to the public in it’s current form, it has not been ‘weaponised’ and currently requires that the flash chip is removed from the drive circuit board and inserted into a special flash programming device."
Slight difference, makes your article rather off the point.
At #10, the cool guy from "the scene": You say Microsoft cannot upgrade the firmware because you control the firmware. That assumption is correct. However, Microsoft will always be able to *detect* the firmware. And build this check into new games released from now on. Whatever TeamXecuter releases based on this hack will turn an awful lot of 360's into 3.5Kg paperweights only capable of playing pirated games released between Nov 2005 and May 2006.
I'll laugh my ass off though at all the people having to spend $400 on a new Xbox 360. I want face photographs of the first idiot to discover his 360 was practically bricked by MS.
parth barot @ Mar 29th 2006 12:34AM
whatever it is!
but they had braken the thing and hacked it is true...
And from starting, MS things having these kind a holes in their systems..
dont they need to do something in this matter?
parth barot @ Mar 29th 2006 12:42AM
whatever it is!
but they had braken the thing and hacked it is true...
And from starting, MS things having these kind a holes in their systems..
dont they need to do something in this matter?
Lairye @ Apr 9th 2006 3:45PM
Uhh can you say. Paid off.
Chad @ May 6th 2006 2:03PM
You are an idiot 22. Even if microsoft finds a way to block this hack, the 360's will not be bricked. You could always put on the current original bios and at least get to play original games.
This isn't a permanent hack. They will hack the hardware properly eventually.
SEVEN @ May 12th 2006 2:34AM
Go away Josh and stop being a hacker hater. I love modding my Xbox and can't wait when 360 hack is available. I Like having all my games stored on the HD, that way I dont have to be looking for disc when I'm gaming. Shout-out to all you hackers out there keep up the good work