iOS Hacker ‘qwertyoruiop’ – known for jailbreaking multiple iOS versions and Playstations – used an old exploit for the iOS 9.3 Webkit browsers to hack the Nintendo Switch, which was previously used to jailbreak Apple iOS 9.3 devices. Another fellow hacker – LiveOverflow – has confirmed that the exploit works on the Nintendo Switch and a proof of concept was publicly released. The Switch was released with a very closed operating system, which means that the hackers will not be able to execute any unofficial code within the system. In other words, the hackers cannot change the way the Nintendo Switch works or hack into the currently available games, like the highly-praised The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, using exploits to jailbreak the Switch, hackers may be able to understand the console’s firmware and start looking at how it uses RAM, allow gamers to load homebrew apps, play ROMS that simulate Nintendo classics, and even browse the Internet as one would on a computer. The jailbreak code is available here and it primarily consists of a web server that sends over some code that will let you “overwrite anything in memory.”
So, how does such an exploit exist within the Nintendo Switch. Apparently, Nintendo appears to have implemented an outdated Webkit with an HTTP codebase necessary for the console’s Wi-Fi network. The codebase has been patched for iOS 9.3 and other systems, but it seems Nintendo used an older version. In the meantime, Nintendo is working towards rolling out a bug-fix update to address the exploit without requiring user authentication, and thereby prevent its execution or use with a hack tool.
