It's the CPU key that prevents 360 modding
by Dustin Burg 
{ Jun 24th 2007 at 1:00PM }
The Xbox 360 modding community's excitement levels are reaching an all-time high as they are one key away from making their modding dreams come true. The ultimate goal of 360 modders is to get the console to revert back to the vulnerable kernel that was found, but quickly patched by Microsoft. And it sounds like Microsoft blocked the ability to revert back to that kernel by blowing an eFuse on the CPU. Modders have now found out that they can bypass this whole eFuse thing and revert back to the vulnerable kernel if the CPU key is known. But guess what. The CPU key is only attainable through blown eFuse data, so it's a catch twenty-two and no progress has been made on attaining the CPU key through other methods. So, as of now, their attempts have been unsuccessful.If we were Microsoft we'd be working on another way to block the modding community's advances, because it may only be a few weeks before they find out how to get the CPU key, revert back to the vulnerable kernel, and mod, mod, mod until the sun goes down.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Viridium @ Jun 24th 2007 1:32PM
Keep up the good work, MS. Piraters be damned! I feel bad for the few legitimate modders out there, but you're a small price to pay so that people will actually support games, and not cheat on Live.
puhssy liquors @ Jun 24th 2007 1:33PM
"So ... conclusion, if they somehow manage to find a way to get the 'CPU Key' out of your Xbox 360 - it looks like it's "game over" for our friends at Microsoft."
If that happens... Live will become pure hell with all the modders on it. They can all burn in hell for all I care. I just hope MS stops it before they go cheat in games and such.
Ikke2003 @ Jun 24th 2007 1:34PM
As long as modders get banned from Live it's fine by me.
mike @ Jun 24th 2007 1:52PM
dear god no. I stopped playing halo 2 because of the lame ass mods. Once you rank up, every game features a modder. So lame and unfun. Im excited for halo 3 because this time those dirty modders dont have a console to do anything on. Please dont let them mod the 360. If you want to mod a console for legitimate purposes (like media enter and playing roms and whatnot, please go buy a $40 xbox and mod that. Just leave the 360 alone.
The 360 can already play pirated games (and now they claim witout being detected on live). So Go play your free game, it does not bother me in the slightest. Your not hurting any1, and you probably would not of bought those games you burned anyway. But PLEASE do not mod the console. That will just ruin online games like with the 1st xbox.
Back in 2005, I was hoping for a halo 3 launch title so there would be no mods. Luckiliy no mods have still yet occured, and lets keep it that way.
Sean @ Jun 24th 2007 2:41PM
People need not worry. To play on Xbox Live, you need the latest kernel. The only vulnerable kernel is old, so they wont be able to connect.
Tim @ Jun 24th 2007 3:13PM
Yeah modding is a good thing. My Xbox 1 is being used to this day because Xbox Media Center is the best media application ever made.
Action Replay and modem tricks had nothing to do with mods, guys. Xbox Live banned people with modchips just for having modchips. Even if they didn't go on Live. It happened to me. I didn't care though.
If the 360 gets modded it'll be a really cool thing and lots of neat applications will be made for it. It will definitely be like owning another PC. And since I love Xbox Live so much I'll probably just go ahead and buy a second 360 so I can mod one and play on the other.
Tim @ Jun 24th 2007 3:16PM
And NO it's NOT about pirating games!
You can already do that. If I wanted free games I would have done the DVD Firmware thing and gotten them. I dont care about that.
I want Xbox Media Center 360. Because it will be amazing and make Windows Media Center look like garbage.
etc.
TheGuy @ Jun 24th 2007 3:50PM
@Tim
Agreed. Everyone seems to automatically conclude that if someone mods their console it has to be for piracy. It's not all about piracy, and modding allows people to make the most use out of the hardware they own. Just look at what modding has done for the PSP. Some people have bought a PSP specifically for modding, it allows people to use their PSP's to their full hardware capabilities, and has pressured Sony to make faster progress in improving the PSP's software. Now all the PSP needs is more games lol. Anyways, I believe the piracy-aspect of modding is overrated and it can bring more benefits than consequences to the 360.
MODDING FTW!!!
ssuk @ Jun 24th 2007 4:24PM
mike: You're pretty short-sighted, of course piracy is hurting someone, you don't pay for the game, those poor developers who slaved over the game you're pirating aren't getting any returns on the game.
After a few years though, I don't have a problem with it so much, as the game's probably made back it's fair share of development costs and a bit extra, but games recent or within the last 12 months aren't a victimless crime when you pirate them.
h0mi @ Jun 24th 2007 5:16PM
Well the modding might make XBLA content pirateable, but I look forward to being able to mod my 360 to do things far better than the old xbox does (an improved version of XBMC i mean).
Heck, Id be encouraged to have 2 xboxes to do this sort of thing. Buy a core, mod it, connect a 120+ gb hd to it... god stuff, if/when it works.
WTangoFoxtrot @ Jun 24th 2007 5:52PM
Bring on the Xbox 360 Media Center !!!!!
C @ Jun 24th 2007 6:23PM
Hacker will prevail...
Alright keep up the good work modders
Timothy Larkin @ Jun 24th 2007 9:44PM
If you really want a Media Center PC just build a media Center PC, use Linux or Windows or whatever, but why is that people want to believe that it can't be done with anything other than a gaming console?
There's no valid reason why the 360 should be modded.
OTAM @ Jun 24th 2007 10:59PM
"If you really want a Media Center PC just build a media Center PC, use Linux or Windows or whatever"
Maybe because they can't run Xbox 360 games?
mark @ Jun 30th 2007 4:33AM
@Timothy Larkin
you'll probably never understand until you mod an xbox.
i don't want to buy or build a media center pc. first of all, that's no fun. and i'm a cheap ass gamer. the 360 is supposed to be a centerpiece in my 'digital entertainment lifestyle' and is perfectly capable of being a media center pc. yet it can't do internet radio, youtube, etc. it can't even support a lousy mouse! i have to rip all my music onto the hard drive or keep it on a usb device just to listen to it in-game.
those are a few valid reasons for modding. simple things you can do on a modded xbox you can't do on a 360. you learn a lot about a system when you mod. modding is also fun. and you can impress your friends!
now cheating's a different story... but someday, they'll realize they're only cheating themselves.
Dragod @ Jun 24th 2007 11:25PM
All I can say is: Thank god. It's bad enough with glitches. Halo 2's getting horrible. Especially on Team Snipers... Amazing How people can be running away as I am lining up my head shot, they jump in the air, turn around and just barely get my head which is slightly peeking out of a wall...
UAE L0co @ Jun 26th 2007 12:31PM
@ 15:
yeh or when your like shooting at the guy for 10 seconds and he still doesnt die :S
im with MS with this one (Y)
doot @ Jun 25th 2007 2:12PM
"If you really want a Media Center PC just build a media Center PC, use Linux or Windows or whatever, but why is that people want to believe that it can't be done with anything other than a gaming console?
There's no valid reason why the 360 should be modded."
Ive got about 200 valid reasons why one would want to use an xbox360 as a media playback device. Impossible to find a box with this much horsepower at the cost. Bottom line. Hackers arent interested with 'buying' a solution esp when one exists that is cheap, has tons of power, but only runs custom/signed code. Consider the computational/graphical power of the machine you are using right now and its associated costs. The value of an xbox360 is huge, esp since it can handle high resolution/bitrate video, which requires a pretty beefy (ie. much more than $200) machine.
jay luv @ Jun 25th 2007 3:14PM
Modding isnt about piracy. I cant wait for xbox 360 media center were i can run my own video, not what M$ wants me to run. I cant wait to add my own external HD, not what they want me to have. All M$ have to do is release the drivers and that can happen. And if you put an OS on a system like this, you have a very powerful computer.
I like and own alot of 360 games but I dont have the time to play them much. Its knowing what I can do with the 360 that excites me and makes me luv this system.
José Carlos Aguirre! @ Jun 26th 2007 6:16AM
heeeeey........ I Support modders.... I realize that supoorting PIRACY may lead to problems with game sales, which could have many bad consequences, (I still think the game's prices are too high, but that's only my opinion, and they are free to charge whatever they want for their products.... and no, most of people who support piracy DO NOT DO IT so they can cheat on Live!!!), but I'm completely against the idea of Microsoft not letting customers use their hardware as they please.... a thumb up to Sony for letting PS3 users install linux on their system..... AND, when a game stops selling, the loss is mainly by the publisher and the producers, not the developers, and publishers (like say, MICROSOFT) are obscenely rich.... they don't need any more money... (or at least no one in the company would need if bill gates and other high executives didn't suck that much money from low or middle employees in the same company)