Irreparable exploit found on nintendo switch

The Nintendo Switch is an impressive device, to which you can get much more out of what Nintendo officially allows. Hacker Katherine Temkin and the ReSwitched team revealed an exploit, which no firmware update can shutdown, and which allows backups and other operating systems to be loaded on the console.

The Tegra X1 has an important security hole that cannot be repaired

This exploit in question is called Fusée Gelée and can be found inside the Tegra X1 chip of the console. This vulnerability involves a bug in the chip's USB recovery mode, something that hackers can use, to send data that allows access to restricted parts of the console's memory. From there, you can run arbitrary code to gain control of the system and run other operating systems, and software not signed by Nintendo.

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However, getting to that USB recovery mode is quite difficult to achieve. The good and bad news is that this exploit cannot be patched, Temkin says. It is located in the extremely secure portion of the NVIDIA Tegra X1 chip, which is impossible to access once the chip leaves the factory.

This is why Temkin and ReSwitched have yet to reveal all the details about the exploit, giving Nvidia time to notify their customers first. It is an exploit that affects all Tegra X1 devices, not just the Nintendo Switch, so it has the potential to cause a lot of damage if the necessary security measures are not taken. Temkin believes in responsible and open disclosure, in contrast to some of the hacker teams.

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