Jason
Admin
Posts : 1585
Join date : 2009-06-04
 |  Subject: 360 update story  Wed Aug 12, 2009 10:50 am | |
| On Tuesday, Microsoft has released an Xbox 360
software update that overwrites the first stage bootloader of the
system. Although there have been numerous software updates for
Microsoft's gaming console in the past, this is the first one to
overwrite the vital boot block. Any failure while updating this will
break the Xbox 360 beyond repair. Statistics from other systems have
shown that about one in a thousand bootloader updates goes wrong, and
unless Microsoft has a novel solution to this problem, this puts tens
of thousands of Xboxes at risk.
It seems that this update is
being done to fix a vulnerability already known to the Free60 Project.
This vulnerability has been successfully exploited to run arbitrary
code, and a complete end user compatible hack has been in development
for some time and is planned to be released on free60.org shortly. It
will allow users to take back control of their Xboxes and run arbitrary
code like homebrew applications or Linux right after turning on the
console and without the need of a modchip, finally opening up the Xbox
360 to a level of hacking as the original Xbox.
Because of the
dangerousness of the update and the homebrew lockout, the Free60
Project advises all Xbox 360 users to not update their systems to the
latest software version. The Project website at http://free60.org/ will
provide the latest information on this ongoing topic, including the
final hack software.
Free60 (www.free60.org) is a project that
aims to enable Xbox 360 users to run homebrew applications and
operating systems like Linux on their consoles. The effort is headed by
Felix Domke and Michael Steil, who have a background in dbox2, Xbox and
GameCube hacking, and who have spoken at various conferences about
their findings. Two years ago, Free60 released a hack that allowed
arbitrary code execution using a game ("King Kong Hack") as well as an
adapted version of Linux, but this possibility has been disabled by
Microsoft in subsequent updates of the Xbox 360 software.
Felix
and Michael have repeatedly argued that game console manufacturers
should open up their platforms to Linux and homebrew, similar to what
Sony has done with the PlayStation 3. | |
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