Expect Some Scrambling From Nintendo Shortly
Nintendo has always been fighting with hackers regarding their systems and security. Normally, this entails a software update that eliminates whatever vulnerability that said hackers have exploited. This time however, the problem is an unpatchable one. Apparently this issue is one that won’t be corrected until the next batch of hardware rolls out.
The exploit is known as ‘Fusée Gelée,’ a coldboot vulnerability that merely requires forcing the Switch into USB recovery mode. Well, ‘simple’ is something of a misnomer. It requires making a small modification at the hardware level. But if you execute this properly, you’re in, so to speak. But what happens next? Not only for Nintendo, but for hackers and adventurous users?
Nothing is in the pipes just yet, though there’s no particular hurry, either. After all, this can’t be patched. Any Nintendo Switch units out in the wild are vulnerable. There’s an image in circulation of a hacked Switch running the Dolphin Gamecube emulator (Or like, hardware that’s qualitatively identical to the Switch). Presumably it’s only a matter of time before one hacker or another figures out how to make this work with less risk of frying your system. The group responsible for pulling this off has made their findings public, in the hope that Nintendo will correct the problem. After all, you wouldn’t want some malicious operatives taking advantage of this vulnerability.