Written by The Nintendo Switch has made history as the company’s best-selling console of all time, but it also appears to have been hacked in record time. Using the system’s currently inaccessible web browser and a jailbreak exploit previously designed to crack open Apple devices, hacker qwertyoruiop appears to have found his way around Nintendo’s defenses. By using an outdated version of Webkit, Nintendo has left their new baby very susceptible to third-party influence. As evidence of his code-based conquest, qwertyoruiop tweeted a photo of a Switch browser window edited to display his moniker and the word “done.”
The compromise of the Switch appears to be a major oversight on the part of Nintendo. They might have been oblivious to the existence of the aforementioned Apple exploit or simply forgot to bolster security in an effort to release the console as soon as possible. A patch to remedy the situation should be imminent, but it’s still a hugely public blunder.
qwertyoruiop later elaborated on his actions on Twitter, declaring, “I did not jailbreak the Switch. I simply demonstrated a proof of concept exploit that gives me code exec in the browser.”
It remains to be seen what other damage and high jinks this hacker will cause, but one thing is for certain: “qwertyoruiop” is the most insanely, unnecessarily difficult nickname of all time!
Last modified: March 14, 2017
