Nintendo Switch Hacked And Turned Into Linux Tablet
Only released early last year, the Nintendo Switch is a fairly new video game console on the market, but hackers have already found their way around it.
The latest console developed by Nintendo prides itself on being a "hybrid" console as it can be played as a home console or a portable console. But, apparently, not everyone is contented with Switch being limited to playing video games.
On Feb. 6, a hacker group named fail0verflow posted a photo on Twitter of a Nintendo Switch that was booting Linux. A little over a week later, the hacking collective updated their followers with their hacking activities.
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This time, the group tweeted a video of the Switch running a Linux operating system (OS), with a person using the Switch like a full-on Linux tablet, even going on Twitter through a browser. With the video, fail0verflow also tweeted, "Code execution is all the rage these days, but can your Switch do *this*? #switchnix."
The fail0verflow did not reveal how they hacked into Switch's OS. They explained on Twitter that the resources they used could not be patched with a software update. This means that any Switch console can be hacked and transformed into a Linux OS-running tablet. The group also revealed that they did not use any modchip.
While no one else knows about how fail0verflow has hacked into Switch, the fact that the group showed it was possible excited many people from the modding community. This is because it opens possibilities for more features on the Switch instead of being limited to a video game console. The hack also opens up opportunities for users to play pirated games on their device.
The fail0verflow is also known for being able to hack security models in consumer electronic devices. The group has already been successful in penetrating the PlayStation 3, which later on lead to a lawsuit by Sony.
