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Home > Archive > Xbox forum > September 2005 > Microsoft aims for hack-proof Xbox 360
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Microsoft aims for hack-proof Xbox 360
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4218670.stm
Microsoft plans to make its next generation games console, the Xbox 360, as
difficult as possible to hack.
The 360 will have security built directly into the hardware, said Xbox
engineer Chris Satchell.
Fans have modified the first Xbox to turn it into a media centre, upgrade
the hard drive or allow it to play imported games.
Modifying a console is illegal in the UK if this is intended to get around
anti-piracy measures on the Xbox.
Consoles such as the Xbox and PlayStation 2 can be modified by chips that
are soldered to a console's main circuit board to bypass copyright controls.
The chips allow people to play games purchased legitimately in other
countries, as well as running backup copies or bootleg discs.
Shortly after the first Xbox came out, computer scientists, smart amateur
engineers and others started taking it apart and creating modification chips
and software for the machine to make it do things Microsoft never intended
it to.
Custom design
Such actions are frowned upon by the hardware manufacturers. In July last
year, Sony won a court case to ban the selling of mod chips for its
PlayStation 2 in the UK.
There are going to be levels of security in this box that the hacker
community has never seen before
Chris Satchell, Xbox
In July of this year, a 22-year-old man became the first person in the UK to
be convicted for modifying a video games console.
With the 360, Microsoft is aiming to make it as hard as possible to hack.
"We've taken security to the hardware level and built it in from the ground
up," said Chris Satchell from the Xbox Advanced Technology Group.
"One of the reasons we went with custom hardware design for all our silicon
is that it allows us to build security at the silicon level," he told the
BBC News website.
"There are going to be levels of security in this box that the hacker
community has never seen before."
Part of the motivation behind this is to prevent people from using the 360
to watch pirated films or TV shows.
But Mr Satchell admitted no system was fool-proof and that, with enough time
and dedication, the security on the Xbox 360 would be broken.
"There're some really bright people in the world with some really expensive
hardware," he said.
"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."
Microsoft's 360 is set to be the first of the new wave of games machines to
hit the shops sometime before Christmas.
The basic Xbox 360, dubbed the Core System, will retail for $299 in the US,
299 euros in Europe and £209 in the UK.
The fully loaded console with all the accessories will sell for $399, 399
euros and £279. Sony's PlayStation 3 is due to be released early next year,
with Nintendo's Revolution following later.
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| as the dude said, it will be only a matter of time before the security of
the box will be cracked...
I give it a week.
<nam75> wrote in message news:Lp-dnQ1pcbWWjr_eRVn-pA@comcast.com...
quote:
>
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4218670.stm
>
> Microsoft plans to make its next generation games console, the Xbox 360,
as
quote:
> difficult as possible to hack.
>
> The 360 will have security built directly into the hardware, said Xbox
> engineer Chris Satchell.
>
> Fans have modified the first Xbox to turn it into a media centre, upgrade
> the hard drive or allow it to play imported games.
>
> Modifying a console is illegal in the UK if this is intended to get around
> anti-piracy measures on the Xbox.
>
> Consoles such as the Xbox and PlayStation 2 can be modified by chips that
> are soldered to a console's main circuit board to bypass copyright
controls.
quote:
>
> The chips allow people to play games purchased legitimately in other
> countries, as well as running backup copies or bootleg discs.
>
> Shortly after the first Xbox came out, computer scientists, smart amateur
> engineers and others started taking it apart and creating modification
chips
quote:
> and software for the machine to make it do things Microsoft never intended
> it to.
>
> Custom design
>
> Such actions are frowned upon by the hardware manufacturers. In July last
> year, Sony won a court case to ban the selling of mod chips for its
> PlayStation 2 in the UK.
>
>
> There are going to be levels of security in this box that the hacker
> community has never seen before
> Chris Satchell, Xbox
> In July of this year, a 22-year-old man became the first person in the UK
to
quote:
> be convicted for modifying a video games console.
>
> With the 360, Microsoft is aiming to make it as hard as possible to hack.
>
> "We've taken security to the hardware level and built it in from the
ground
quote:
> up," said Chris Satchell from the Xbox Advanced Technology Group.
>
> "One of the reasons we went with custom hardware design for all our
silicon
quote:
> is that it allows us to build security at the silicon level," he told the
> BBC News website.
>
> "There are going to be levels of security in this box that the hacker
> community has never seen before."
>
> Part of the motivation behind this is to prevent people from using the 360
> to watch pirated films or TV shows.
>
> But Mr Satchell admitted no system was fool-proof and that, with enough
time
quote:
> and dedication, the security on the Xbox 360 would be broken.
>
> "There're some really bright people in the world with some really
expensive
quote:
> hardware," he said.
>
> "I'm sure sooner or later someone will work out how to circumvent
security.
quote:
> But the way we have done the design doesn't mean that it will work on
> somebody else's machine."
>
> Microsoft's 360 is set to be the first of the new wave of games machines
to
quote:
> hit the shops sometime before Christmas.
>
> The basic Xbox 360, dubbed the Core System, will retail for $299 in the
US,
quote:
> 299 euros in Europe and £209 in the UK.
>
> The fully loaded console with all the accessories will sell for $399, 399
> euros and £279. Sony's PlayStation 3 is due to be released early next
year,
quote:
> with Nintendo's Revolution following later.
>
>
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| Company Man 2005-09-10, 8:33 pm |
|
"Adam" <nospam@foryou.com.au> wrote in message
news:OoW$%23qctFHA.2392@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
quote:
> as the dude said, it will be only a matter of time before the security of
> the box will be cracked...
> I give it a week.
>
>
The part about what works for one, may not work for others, was intriguing
though.
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| Jukka Mustasilta 2005-09-10, 8:33 pm |
| > Microsoft plans to make its next generation games console, the Xbox 360,
quote:
> as difficult as possible to hack.
WHAT?? NO WAY?? I THOUGHT MS WOULD SHARE HACK PACKS AND MODCHIPS FOR FREE OR
REMOVE ALL PROTECTIONS FROM IT !!!
No news. Probably they'll use the internet and Live to spy on your console
even more than nowdays.
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"Adam" <nospam@foryou.com.au> wrote in message
news:OoW$%23qctFHA.2392@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...[vbcol=seagreen]
> as the dude said, it will be only a matter of time before the
> security of
> the box will be cracked...
> I give it a week.
>
>
>
> <nam75> wrote in message
> news:Lp-dnQ1pcbWWjr_eRVn-pA@comcast.com...
> as
Might as well make it target of the year contest 
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| And what about those peopleo who dont play online?....
Jukka Mustasilta escribió:
quote:
>
>
> WHAT?? NO WAY?? I THOUGHT MS WOULD SHARE HACK PACKS AND MODCHIPS FOR FREE OR
> REMOVE ALL PROTECTIONS FROM IT !!!
>
> No news. Probably they'll use the internet and Live to spy on your console
> even more than nowdays.
>
>
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