Xbox 360 Backup Discs Bootable

An anonymous reader writes "The firmware of the Xbox 360 DVD drive has been hacked, allowing users to boot backups of games on the new Microsoft console. A group of hackers on the xboxhacker.net forum managed to trick the DVD firmware into reporting a recordable disc as an original Xbox 360 disc. This means that it will not allow booting of unsigned homebrew code (like Linux), as the signature check is not bypassed. This hack will just trick the Xbox 360 into thinking you inserted an original Xbox 360 disc, so it'll only boot unedited executables. A video has been released, the hack has not been released to the public (because it will be mainly used for piracy), but all the research of the last few months is publicly viewable."

firmware check on new games?

[Brit_in_the_USA]

how long until a game is released that checksums the DVD firmware and "updates it" to soemthing more secure?

( + reporting to MS Live if you have a hacked verison and cancelling your account? ala Blizzard?)

Ability to boot non-Microsoft code more useful

[Animats]

This is the "piracy" hack. A way to cleanly boot non-Microsoft content would be more useful. Microsoft probably couldn't do much about that legally; if you own the unit, you have no obligation to play only approved content.

Surprised it took this long

[ryants]

Frankly I'm surprised it took this long, given that the Xbox 360 will boot burned CDs/DVDs for backwards compatibility updates [xbox.com].

I always thought that was a pretty good area of attack right there.

Citations

[OpenSourced]

From the post:
the hack has not been released to the public

From Jane Austen's "Emma":
'It's to be a secret, I conclude,' said he. These matters are always a secret, till it is found out that everybody knows them. Only let me be told when I may speak out.'"

Re:Mainly used?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's like Smith & Wesson not releasing their latest gun because "it would be mainly used for killing".

Well, to be fair, killing is not illegal per se. I don't know about self defense (manslaughter?), but killing enemy combatants in a war and hunting animals are very often legal.

IANAL, but I think just releasing this hack could be illegal by itself under the DMCA.

One small step

[Enselic]

I remember hackers speaking of how easy hacking the Xbox 360 will be, that it will only take hours once it is released.

Now, 4 months after the release, they manage to hack a disc. Microsoft sure has given them a challenge this time.

LOL

[bogie]

"the hack has not been released to the public (because it will be mainly used for piracy)"

Then why did they bother? Testing XP or linux to see if its security is working is one thing. That has real world consequences. Testing it is a noble cause IMHO. Hacking the firmware of a gaming system make get done to "boot linux" but we all know the real world implication here. I don't frown on this morally one bit but let's not kid ourselves here. Information may want to be free, but people want free games even more.

Re:"we don't want to support piracy"

[linguizic]

Wait a minute, playboy has articles?

Implications for xbox live

[AlphaWolf_HK]

I was wondering why somebody didn't try this before. It would allow you to play copied games on xbox live without getting banned as well since the main xbox firmware hasn't been tampered with, nor has any other hardware been modified in any way.

I suppose microsoft could detect this on live by scanning the dvd drives firmware, but the data contained on the firmware itself could easily be spoofed. The other software on the xbox has to relie on whatever the firmware itself says it has. Somebody could just add code to the firmware that sends false data to external reads. All it has to do is report whatever data the console would expect it to have and then detection would become impossible.

People who would want to cheat on xbox live would be out of luck, since afterall, the signature checks are still in place.

Re:"we don't want to support piracy"

[msobkow]

Hate to say it, but from what I've heard, the XBox 360 is notorious for destroying disks. Unless the manufacturers are going to ship replacement disks, or Microsoft is going to replace console and damaged disks, I don't see that people have a choice but to burn images and leave the original safe.

Of course some of those dups will probably end up with neighbours, friends, or as posted ISOs.

What I find interesting is that it's yet another case of a "perfect" protection being broken. No matter how good the lock, a professional thief (or curious old-school hacker) will get past it. All locks ever do is keep out people who respect locks.

Re:Surprised it took this long

[cnettel]

Well, it doesn't help that much, as it's the signature that determines how a valid image may be started (and no commercial game will say "burned booting OK"). Now, all software written by MS really "sees" the disc as a real DVD, completely independent of whether booting from burned DVDs is supported or not. The only way to block this would be to block flashing DVD firmware (wise) or blocking reading burned discs in hardware. The latter would of course make it less usable for playing CDs or video in more or less legitimate ways that MS still wants to support.

Re:"we don't want to support piracy"

[NeMon'ess]

I thought that was just when users moved or tilted the 360 when it was powered up. If they'd wait until the disc wasn't spinning there wouldn't be a problem. Anyone smart enough to understand this doesn't get to use this as an excuse to backup their games.

Re:"we don't want to support piracy"

[rolfwind]

How about Fair Use? Weren't music cassete back ups declared legal in a court of law in the 80's? Is that a good enough "excuse" for you?

Why in the world is a backup considered piracy? I have all my cds/movies on my harddrive precisely because I don't want to damage the discs and therefore have to buy the same crap again. It's the content industry that wants their products to have the advantages of both a physical medial and pure license, but without the downside of either.

Re:"we don't want to support piracy"

[Klanglor]

actualy my brother told me that he downloaded his copy of eclipse on the playboy mirror.

Re:"we don't want to support piracy"

[mrchaotica]

Just because you're smart enough to know better (and I'm not saying you are) doesn't mean that someone else who might have physical access to your game console is also. Therefore, stupidity is not the only valid excuse (let alone the fact that you don't need an "excuse" for Fair Use anyway)!

Re:"we don't want to support piracy"

[mrchaotica]

Wasn't there something on Slashdot recently about someone getting mini-DVDRs (that would fit in an unmodified GameCube case) to work?