Microsoft Aims for Hack-Proof 360 134
jondaw writes "The BBC is reporting that "Microsoft plans to make its next generation games console, the Xbox 360, as difficult as possible to hack...There are going to be levels of security in this box that the hacker community has never seen before...I'm sure sooner or later someone will work out how to circumvent security. But the way we have done the design doesn't mean that it will work on somebody else's machine.""
Amount of work in design (Score:5, Interesting)
Claiming something hackproof is like saying a doorlock is tamper-proof. It *can* be opened, it's just how much work are you prepared to do that justifies doing it.
The Only Secure System (Score:5, Interesting)
To test this... (Score:2, Interesting)
The saltine group will then comprise of a group of 5 bright individuals, who will be awarded as a whole $200,000 or $40,000 each if they can come up with a hack that would or could end up with a cheap mod-chip solution that could be mass-produced.
They of course have a pre-set deadline, say between now and the actual launch.
Why? (Score:4, Interesting)
I use it in a 'hacked state' far more often than 'straight'.
Re:Why? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I think people underestimate the challenge (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I think people underestimate the challenge (Score:3, Interesting)
True. If Microsoft hadn't released the v1.0 security system bunnie hacked we probably wouldn't have been able to hack v1.1 since we used a lot of knowledge gained from 1.0 in doing so. One of those things was used to get hold of the code for the hash algorithm. Without that we wouldn't have known it was TEA and thus flawed for hashing.
The Gamecube was only hacked since tmbinc found an extreme implementation flaw. A single "clear register" in their loop would've made the Gamecube unhacked up until this day, in my view.
The reason it's possible to make an "unhackable" console is that they can use hardware security, i.e, "if you cannot extract the key from our little chip here, you're not going to run code on our hardware".
That's secure enough.
How hack proof does it need to be? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I think people underestimate the challenge (Score:3, Interesting)
clearly, they've changed the way it works enough that previous avenues for revealing the mechanism will not work.
try something totally new.
DRM is the most flawed cryptology around for the simple reason that it must be viewable by all people who purchase it. and because of that, it must be on the hardware and software in possession of the customer.
hardware is a lot tougher to crack than software simply because the tools required are more often than not, not able to be acquired by the hackers.
but the difference here is that your hardware which a "console" (read computer) is, has far more uses than trying to "crack" satellite to get free service.
if you can hack a "console", then the person who bought that device, can have full access to their personal property. that's simply not the way it is with satellite access.
all those processors in the "console" can then be put to use to do things like being a MYTH tv box, a node in a render cluster, a home theater silent media center, etc.
they are DENYING the customers their lawful property. to hide behind "well that's not what we're selling" BS. they spend considerable time and money preventing people from having full access to property they purchase.
it's a smokescreen, a red herring if you will. there are other ways to prevent copyright infringement. because the real issue, like it is with the RIAA and the MPAA is not infringement, that's small potatoes. the real reason is for control and having the leverage for other avenues for extorting money.
like when people have cell phones that they cannot upload and download ringtones, pictures etc without having to ask permission from the provider and paying an extortionist fee. i can see where they can block you if you are renting or leasing a phone but not when you buy it outright.
but as you know, they deceive and defraud customers because they don't mention that these consoles are rented or leased with a one time fee. people, virtually 99.9%, including techies assume incorrectly that it's a sale.
there is no "hack" in the sense the public understands. people are just trying to get back what the manufacturers are denying them. they use the law to screw over people and that makes the situation even worse.
it's not "homebrew", call it arbitrary code execution. execution which is legally owed to you by the manufacturers who go out of their way to deny you.