Microsoft learned from the Xbox 360 and made the Xbox One very hard to hack, but is it completely unhackable?
I decided to find out, so I researched the internet trying to answer this question.
The Xbox One so far has not been hacked as the Xbox One operating system is very complex as Microsoft is a software company. Microsoft even pays hackers for detecting issues via the Xbox Bounty program between $500-$20,000 for finding issues, as they are so confident the Xbox One cannot be hacked.
Software is Microsoft’s business so it is no surprise how seriously they treat hacking as shown by the Xbox Bounty program. I will explain how the interesting reasons why the Xbox One is so hack-proof and if the Xbox one can be Jtagged.
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4 Reasons Why The Xbox One Is So Hard To Hack
As Microsoft is in the software business, it makes sense that the Xbox One is still unhackable whilst the PS4 got hacked in 2018 (see link).
The Xbox One Can Only Run Code When It Is Not In Developer Mode
The Xbox One can only run code when it’s not in developer mode, click the link here if you want to know how to turn on developer mode. This means that the Xbox One can only play the same game code as everyone else.
This prevents the ability to load aimbot or maphack on the Xbox One whilst another game is playing, to see how you can sort of use aimbot in Xbox One using mouse and keyboard check my post here. Do you know the real hacks? Try to play any Call Of Duty Xbox 360 lobby and the hacks have made the games unplayable.
Even if you disassemble your console and connect it to a PC, whilst they could copy aimbot and other hacks onto the Xbox they can never run and be used as it can only run code when not in developer mode.
Apps & Games Are Separated For Added Security
Microsoft splits applications into an artificial sandbox so no app or game can read/write or modify other games or application files. Even if you created a custom aimbot for Call Of Duty and hid it inside another game and published it to the store; it still would not work as it cannot access the other games data.
This is intelligent thinking that only could be created by a software company, and that is exactly what Microsoft is.
Xbox One Has Excellent Virtual Machine Architecture
A virtual machine is a software computer, just like a physical computer runs an operating system and applications. The Xbox One architecture for added security plays the application VM(virtual machine) and the game application at the same time.
Even if you hacked one of the VM you will not be able to access the other unless you find a specific exploit to leave the VM. Now it is not impossible to do this, but it is very difficult to do with the Hyper-V(Windows VM) as security is Microsoft’s top priority as a software company.
No Memory Exploit Has Been Found With The Xbox One
A memory exploit allows one app to rewrite another app’s memory, as Windows uses DEP(data execution protection) which randomizes where the data is stored into RAM(random access memory) and it is stored in a different place every time to make it more difficult to lack
Even if you found a memory bug overflowing or being run under an app, you would overwrite random unknown data in RAM which would not cause any hacks and be useless; worse for the hacker it would cause the app/game or operating system to crash.
Xbox’s History With Being Hacked
If you see someone hacking in-game they are likely making use of a glitch in the game’s code to gain to cheat, you likely have seen this in Call Of Duty or PUBG when players can shoot under the map, or above the map or become invincible.
Original Xbox Hacking History
The original Xbox has a lengthy hacking history, using mod chips you can see it’s other features and installation process of the Xecuter 3(modchip) in the video above.
If you want to purchase a Xecuter 3 as it’s genuinely a collectible as console modding will be in a very different place without it, you can buy it for the best price on eBay right here.
What Mod Chips Can Do To The Original Xbox
- Copy Games
- Replace dashboard software
- Installing applications directly to the console
Xbox 360 Hacking History
I remember being in secondary school (ages 11-15 in the UK) and one of my friends modded his Xbox 360, getting access to infinite free games; it genuinely felt like magic!
It all started with a firmware hack using the optical drive, this allowed you to play copied games or games downloading from the internet(my friend did this). Whilst the game code was not changed, it just made the drive(disc reader) confused about deciding if a game was real or not.
Unfortunately for all Xbox Live gamers, someone figured out how to hack JTAG Xboxes(modified console) that allowed running their own code. This was a bad moment for Xbox but Xbox gamers in general and now players could run aimbots, flying hacks and essentially ruin the average players’ experience.
Now it will stay possible to get your console and live account banned, as Xbox actively police Xbox Live via Microsoft staff playing Xbox Live games themselves and dealing with modders/cheaters when they see them cheating if you want to know more check my post here.
As not get caught some cheaters were doing things more slyly by increasing grenade and/or bullet damage only.
Can The Xbox One Really Be Jtagged?
There are no hardware mods available for the Xbox One such as the Jtag/RHG on the Xbox 360. Whilst it can be soft-modded by using developer settings for the Xbox One to code apps or games into it, it is very limited compared to the PS4 soft-mod exploits.
Despite everything the Xbox One is not un-hackable and perhaps in the future, it will be done but likely way after the console’s life cycle has ended. I will explain the reasons why the Xbox One cannot be Jtagged below.
Microsoft is a multi-billion-dollar company so it has many resources that Sony cannot compete with making the Xbox very difficult to hack. Look at the video of Tony Che(Microsoft Security Artcheretc) above to see exactly why the Xbox One is so hard to hack.
Hardware mods like the Jtag are difficult as Microsoft updates the Xbox One often and the majority of games need a one-day update to play the game, making it very easy for Microsoft to ban if they see somethings up with your hardware.
If a Jteg exploit has been found then likely it has been kept private as if the company does not know about it, it will still release updates without patching the hackers exploit.
If the exploit is released to the internet, Microsoft will find out where it is and patch it. The PS4 cannot be moded past version 5 and play a game released in 2020 and later.
Hackers have an incentive to keep an exploit quiet as you will be able to play every game of the console’s lifecycle that has ever been released! Now I don’t condone hacking especially if it ruins other players’ experiences but there’s something quite rebellion about it.
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