Those that decide to hack their systems know that there's always the chance of either bricking, or banning. Many of those that installed CFW or installed unauthorized software onto their Nintendo 3DS systems faced an online ban, back in 2017. With exploits and modchips becoming the talk of the town, and the Switch scene progress in general, there's the growing question of "what about bans?".

It began with known Switch hacker Shiny Quagsire finding out that their Switch had been banned. That alone is shocking, but not only was one of their systems banned, but two. They received error code 2124-4007 on their alleged non-hacked Nintendo Switch.

Huh, 2124-4007 on my not-hacked Switch. Wonder what that's about.

— Shiny Quagsire (@ShinyQuagsire) May 19, 2018

​

The screen suggests users to contact Nintendo Support with the error code, which the user in question did. Below, are two alleged chat sessions regarding the error code.

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One of the responses was that the ban would not be lifted, and that the End User License Agreement had been broken. This error code prevents those from accessing the eShop, online gaming, or the friend list and social aspects. Updating or patching one's game still functions, however.

Banned unit count is at 2, current suspicion: libnx errors getting reported.

— Shiny Quagsire (@ShinyQuagsire) May 19, 2018

​

ShinyQuagsire then attempted to play Splatoon 2, and successfully voted for a team during the Splatfest, but trying to play a match brought back the same error code once more, stating that online features were restricted by Nintendo. It was then revealed that the "unhacked" Switch had once run the Homebrew Launcher, as well as PegaSwitch, the latter of which is an exploit toolkit that can write custom code to the system.

only correlation between my banned unit and the other in our group is libnx error codes being in the settings log, never did crazy save edits/cheating/weird online stuff, both had client certs dumped but I don't think it's that, they're not rejected

— Shiny Quagsire (@ShinyQuagsire) May 19, 2018

​

Later, another Switch hacker, SciresM also spoke up about his own console getting banned. CDN was cited as a potential cause, though ShinyQuagsire wasn't so sure, as the last time they'd done anything regarding that was months ago, meaning Nintendo could have retroactively banned them, or is only going after them now.

This is the console cert I've been using for *all* CDN exploration since June of last year. I'm not surprised in the slightest, tons and tons of invalid requests have been sent from this one. I also updated the console to 5.0.1 when that released.

— Michael (@SciresM) May 22, 2018

​

CDN, "Content Distribution Network", as described by Nintendo themselves is

Content delivery network providers enable faster video streaming and support the delivery of content you have requested, e.g. when using Nintendo eShop, by using a system of distributed servers that deliver the content to you, based on your geographic location. We may therefore share your information (including your IP address) with our third party content delivery network providers that provide content delivery network services in connection with Nintendo Account Services, Nintendo Network and the official Nintendo website, some of which may act as third-party data processors only

CDN downloaders had been used to download content directly to a computer from Nintendo services, and currently, this is what is considered to have most likely caused the bans at this time. Shiny Quagsire also knows another user who had a Switch banned, which never used the Homebrew Launcher, but did access and mess with the CDN. At this time, only Switch hackers appear to have been affected, not the average user. If more information becomes available, this post will be updated to include such.

 

[Powerful]

Slightly confused here, I was planning on hacking my switch that I just got. My 3ds and wii/wii u are already hacked, so I am not new to the game. Are they banning like they do the 3ds like you can unban, or do I need to wait until we know more? I am not planning on getting banned, and I can’t tell if hacking is leading to bans. I would be running HBL, CFW, and in the future coldboot.

 

[linuxares]

Slightly confused here, I was planning on hacking my switch that I just got. My 3ds and wii/wii u are already hacked, so I am not new to the game. Are they banning like they do the 3ds like you can unban, or do I need to wait until we know more? I am not planning on getting banned, and I can’t tell if hacking is leading to bans. I would be running HBL, CFW, and in the future coldboot.

https://gbatemp.net/threads/the-switch-banning-situation.504995/page-6#post-7999279

 

[FAST6191]

I'm also surprised the switch hackers don't monitor the network traffic to see if they can find out how Nintendo is detecting the bans through the outgoing metadata.

Would that even work?
Nintendo may not have traditionally had the best security but surely even they are not incompetent enough to neglect to simply send a flag several megs into a SSL session.

 

[Powerful]

https://gbatemp.net/threads/the-switch-banning-situation.504995/page-6#post-7999279

It’s obvious there’s a risk, I knew that. I am literally trying to pin point what exactly is causing it, and if others out there only running homebrew have been banned. For example I hacked my Wii U and nothing happen as long as you didn’t cheat online. The 3ds however seemed to be banned if you hacked online, or if you were sharing all your data and logs online. Turning them off seemed to not lead to more bans. This is why I am asking on the state of bans right now. If I know how to hack these consoles, I know that there is a risk. I am again trying to see if the community can find a source to the bans.

 

[FAST6191]

I am again trying to see if the community can find a source to the bans.

That technique ceased to be all that effective/useful some years ago, and probably won't be any use here as things are still happening behind closed doors and thus we don't know the extent of the changes and have no complete model of the kernel/then current kernel and its services.

In a mass banning it can help narrow some things down, but at the same time there are many things that can be done to throw that. A few incomplete datapoints from people with an interest in keeping their hacks private is not going to do it.

 

[|<roni&g]

Paying for online is going to suck, you the community need to fight against it.
Imagine paying for online, running a few emulators and getting banned, that would be an injustice. Nintendos online is free, let's keep it that way

 

[RedBlueGreen]

Paying for online is going to suck, you the community need to fight against it.
Imagine paying for online, running a few emulators and getting banned, that would be an injustice. Nintendos online is free, let's keep it that way

You really can't because Nintentdo wants to charge for it. I actually never found the 3DS and Wii U online to be terribly slow if you have a decent connection. I've had more issues with speeds on PS4 online than I have with Wii U and 3DS wi-fi.

 

[FAST6191]

I am all for not paying for online, much less poorly implemented online (and given what we have seen thus far...).

I can't get to it being an injustice though, not even close. Break the terms of service and expect to get pinged. I will happily support the efforts of those looking to make stealth custom firmwares and the like but in the end online is something you sacrifice if you are going to roll with hacks, anything you do manage to get is a bonus.

 

[Futurdreamz]

how long until Switchwwmfi or whatever it is called?

 

[FAST6191]

how long until Switchwwmfi or whatever it is called?

Short version. Nobody knows.

I generally find it goes a bit quicker when various other factors are in play.

Start with.
Does it have local network multiplayer? Is said multiplayer ping limited so it can't be stuffed over a VPN or something? If both of those are favourable you tend to get something fast, mainly as it is just a VPN client. The original xbox did not have ping limits but the 360 did, though ones that could be defeated by the JTAG/RGH family of mods (and I think it was just for the host as well). LAN play kind of went the way of the dodo though, though with the switch nominally being a handheld I could expect something.
Is it a paid service? Free is good and dodging the need for payment is some incentive to do it.
Are there games worth playing on it? Not so many seem to be here for the switch but at the same time just one mega popular game can be all the push people need to reverse it for that, and then that can be adapted for all.
How complicated are the services? You get exceptions like WoW private servers but World of Warcraft was/is kind of a SQL layer (a common database format and protocol) if memory serves so that was easier than fully custom from the ground up. The DS and Wii stuff was, or at least could be boiled down to, a simple handshake+ auto lobby and multicast server rather than something more custom. By similar token if self hosted servers are a thing then that also plays into this (consoles, especially Nintendo ones, rarely feature this though), it need not necessarily be for the console in question either if a PC version exists or something like that.
How complicated is it to get a simple hacked system on the stock online? If it is harder there then there is more incentive to do things so people can still do something like online play. Early signs are Nintendo is actually doing something resembling security this time so it could be harder. If they really go in for it and embed loads of checks, radically rework the resulting binary code, split things between regions and maybe models/serials and then update it all and properly enforce latest versions every few weeks then that gets very hard for a hacked system trying to be online and is not all that much effort on their part. Harder for that means more effort into creating viable third party alternatives.
How complicated is hacking the system enough to do this sort of thing in general? With the current mod set then seemingly trivial, compared to something like the JTAG and RGH family on the 360 which were not what you might call trivial and thus limited the pool tremendously, so there is that.
How well understood is the system? If you still have to feel out all the services and document things then having to do that first . As it stands the switch is pretty far from some kind of documentation akin to http://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm and with the added bonus of being a modern system with a lot more going on than some previous efforts.
Is the online aspect of the system facing closure? Presumably not yet but in other cases it helps things get pushed along.

If you can stuff something over a VPN then obviously right away, maybe day 3 if there needs to be a packet capture and repeater thing going on as well. Day 14 for the better guides that don't then give the confirmed hacker inclined types the run of your LAN as well.
After that then all bets are off.

 

[donut32]

It is interesting seeing Nintendo vs the people with this. With coding/programming becoming a more relevant and important profession more and more are becoming so literate in IT that they can do what the big corps do - Pull apart their work and find ways to exploit it and make it free / easier for the community to access. The big gaming companies need to find a new model. Same as the banks and “FinTech”.

 

[Deleted User]

If I got banned on a switch i honestly wouldn't care,since the switch has payed online anyway,which I'll never pay for to even use online to begin with.

 

[Don Jon]

Let me put this simple for everyone.

IF you use HOMEBREW of any kind. You are ALWAYS at risk. The console as soon as you launch any HOMEBREW, it's broken the ToS and is facing a ban risk.
IF you wanna stay SAFE. NEVER EVER use any HOMEBREW. Use it as intended, pay for your games, pay for your online and enjoy it. RIsk of getting banned then is next to null.

Stop asking for "If I do this, will I be safe?" The answer is No, you are never safe!

Fake news. Youre just a schill for Nintendo.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

View attachment 124473​

Those that decide to hack their systems know that there's always the chance of either bricking, or banning. Many of those that installed CFW or installed unauthorized software onto their Nintendo 3DS systems faced an online ban, back in 2017. With exploits and modchips becoming the talk of the town, and the Switch scene progress in general, there's the growing question of "what about bans?".

It began with known Switch hacker Shiny Quagsire finding out that their Switch had been banned. That alone is shocking, but not only was one of their systems banned, but two. They received error code 2124-4007 on their alleged non-hacked Nintendo Switch.

https://twitter.com/ShinyQuagsire/status/997934383855161344
​

The screen suggests users to contact Nintendo Support with the error code, which the user in question did. Below, are two alleged chat sessions regarding the error code.

View attachment 124471 View attachment 124470
​

One of the responses was that the ban would not be lifted, and that the End User License Agreement had been broken. This error code prevents those from accessing the eShop, online gaming, or the friend list and social aspects. Updating or patching one's game still functions, however.

https://twitter.com/ShinyQuagsire/status/997979153688244224
​

ShinyQuagsire then attempted to play Splatoon 2, and successfully voted for a team during the Splatfest, but trying to play a match brought back the same error code once more, stating that online features were restricted by Nintendo. It was then revealed that the "unhacked" Switch had once run the Homebrew Launcher, as well as PegaSwitch, the latter of which is an exploit toolkit that can write custom code to the system.

https://twitter.com/ShinyQuagsire/status/997990063970529280
​

Later, another Switch hacker, SciresM also spoke up about his own console getting banned. CDN was cited as a potential cause, though ShinyQuagsire wasn't so sure, as the last time they'd done anything regarding that was months ago, meaning Nintendo could have retroactively banned them, or is only going after them now.

https://twitter.com/SciresM/status/998857191221219328
​

CDN, "Content Distribution Network", as described by Nintendo themselves is



CDN downloaders had been used to download content directly to a computer from Nintendo services, and currently, this is what is considered to have most likely caused the bans at this time. Shiny Quagsire also knows another user who had a Switch banned, which never used the Homebrew Launcher, but did access and mess with the CDN. At this time, only Switch hackers appear to have been affected, not the average user. If more information becomes available, this post will be updated to include such.

By "MANY" do you mean only 3?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Also, quagsire said his other system was banned, not because of homebrew but because it was used with the main account that was first banned. So fix OP and stop mispreding false narritives that only serve to cause panic.

 

[Jonna]

Fake news. Youre just a schill for Nintendo.

Not necessarily. Homebrew and hacking have always had risks associated with them, no matter how minor or major. That's why you see so many splash screens warning you that the devs are not responsible for anything done to your console using their software/exploits, with many requiring you to press a button as confirmation that you understand the risk.

Certainly not something to accuse someone of something over.

 

[Chary]

Fake news. Youre just a schill for Nintendo.

Yeah, I hate rational logic too.

By "MANY" do you mean only 3?

Maybe you should learn to read. I said many that had a 3DS were banned. So please go ahead and fix YOUR false statement.

 

[Don Jon]

Yeah, I hate rational logic too.


Maybe you should learn to read. I said many that had a 3DS were banned. So please go ahead and fix YOUR false statement.

My fault i didnt know shiny quagsire was a team, i thoghht he was only one person. Thats wat threw me off. Seeing as you refer to Quagsire as" they"

 

[deadman8555]

Are they Banning account or the whole system or both?

 

[RingGenie]

I'm wondering if this online ban will block you from accessing the server for games like Super Mario Maker if that ever comes out on Switch. Since ShinyQuagsire was able to vote in Splatfest I'd assume not, and that maybe the ban only blocks you from playing with other people. I've no intention to ever pay for the online service, but being blocked from being able to upload and play levels in Mario Maker would be a deal breaker.

 

[Ericthegreat]

I'm wondering if this online ban will block you from accessing the server for games like Super Mario Maker if that ever comes out on Switch. Since ShinyQuagsire was able to vote in Splatfest I'd assume not, and that maybe the ban only blocks you from playing with other people. I've no intention to ever pay for the online service, but being blocked from being able to upload and play levels in Mario Maker would be a deal breaker.

Yes probably, but there might be a way to manually add levels (no guarantee).

 

[aaronz77]

Wow. Interesting how Nintendo didn't give two shits about Wii/Wii u hacking. But they're all over the switch scene. Out with the ban hammer awfully early this round.