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Somewhat amazingly, a hack created over a year ago to jailbreak iOS 9.3 devices has been re-purposed to gain rudimentary access to the Nintendo Switch browser.
iOS hacking group qwertyoruiop was the first to make use of the exploit present in the Webkit, used by Switch to provide simple HTTP support to gain access to WiFi networks which require registration. The exploit was later posted in video form by LiveOverflow.
The hack essentially takes down the first line of the Switch’s defence against hacker groups, possibly opening up the Switch to a full jailbreak.
All this is the result of Nintendo using an old codebase of the Webkit. Had it utilised a newer codebase the exploit would not have been present, given it was patched out following the iOS 9.3 jailbreak.
For now there’s not much for the end user to see – or indeed be worried about from a safety perspective – but in the months to come hackers will be able to dig deeper in the Switch OS with the goal to create custom firmwares able to bypass Nintendo’s strict security.
Source: @qwertyoruiop via Digital Foundry
