Xbox 360 – Hacked firmware available

It was a bout a month ago since we heard about the first firmware hack that had been performed with Microsoft’s “hacking-proof” video game console Xbox 360. Then it was a solution that was neither released to the public nor was it possible to use it commercially. Now it seems hackers have taken one step closer to mastering Microsoft and its new video game console. It’s the hacker Commodore4Eva that has posted a modified firmware for Xbox 360 that in theory can be used by anyone, as long as you have a console with Toshiba-Samsung’s H934 DVD player. The modified firmware will make it possible to play backups of Xbox 360 games and make it possible to use the DVD unit with Windows without hardware modifications.

Commodore4Eva has written a detailed document that reveal how the new firmware works and what effects it will have on your video game console. He/she has also posted a thorough description of how to flash the DVD unit. This hacked firmware requires that you copy your games onto DVD+R DL media in a special way so that the modified firmware can read the discs correctly.

The firmware has now been released on the web and even if the download links that was earlier available has been disappearing one after another the firmware is circulating in other manners, e.g. BitTorrent networks and other warez communities.

Except from the fact that switching firmware is a rather complicated process, while making the backups is a real chore Microsoft will most likely be able to identify consoles that use the hacked firmware through Xbox Live!. If so, you can count on being banned for life from Live!. Anyhow, it seems the goal of breaking the protections used by Xbox 360 has been more or less achieved, the hacker group behind this now claims that PlayStation 3 is next and it is supposedly a lot easier to hack.

Below is a document that comes with the hacked firmware;

Xtreme firmware for TS-H943 Xbox 360

Here it is, the long awaited World first Xbox 360 backup firmware modification to boot all game backups!

Features
* Boots all Xtreme Xbox 360 backups
* Boots all Xtreme Xbox 1 backups
* Boots all Xbox 360 originals
* Boots all Xbox 1 originals on Xbox 360
* Xtreme0800 extraction firmware enables drive to function natively under Windows without any hardware conversion/adaptors
* Use on Xbox Live at own risk

Technical details
* Reads Xbox 360 security sector from PSN 04FB1F (Layer 0)
* Reads Xbox 1 security sector from PSN 605FF (Layer 0)
* Security sector must be extrated using Xtreme0800 360 firmware for Xbox360 games and Xbox 1 games
* Will not boot Xbox 1 backups made with Xbox1 605b 0800 firmware (maybe in future release)

Flashing your drive
Advisable to make a backup of your dvd drive firmware first (“mtkflash r /m orig.bin”). Please make sure you hexedit the Xtreme.bin firmware (not Xtrm0800.bin firmware) to include your dvd drive key from your original firmware (usually at $4000-4200).
Plug SATA cable from DVD drive to PC. Power cable drive still connected to Xbox 360 Power on Xbox 360 Power on PC Boot with standard dos boot disk with included mtkflash utility.
Run “mtkflash w /m firmwarename.bin” with relevant firmware file (Xtreme.bin for running backups or Xtrm0800.bin for security sector extraction)

Extracting Security Sector
Ensure DVD drive has been flashed with Xtrm0800.bin firmware. Drive can now work under Windows.
Insert original game disk into drive and wait for windows to detect disk change.
Run DVDinfoPro.
Enter the following four custom cdb commands:
AD 00 FF 02 FD FF FE 00 08 00 01 C0
AD 00 FF 02 FD FF FE 00 08 00 03 C0
AD 00 FF 02 FD FF FE 00 08 00 05 C0
AD 00 FF 02 FD FF FE 00 08 00 07 C0
Then save hexadecimal display as bin file as SS.bin

Creating a game backup
Ensure DVD drive has been flashed with Xtrm0800.bin firmware. Drive can now work under Windows.
Extract Isobuilder.rar
Insert original game disk into drive and wait for windows to detect disk change
Run DVDinfoPro
Enter the following custom cdb command to unlock drive: (game data visable)
FF 08 01 01
Run Isobuster
Right click on DVD and select Extract From-To
Click Length and enter number of LBAs as follows:
Xbox 1 Original Number of LBA to read 3431264 decimal
or
Xbox 360 Original Number of LBA to read 3567872 decimal
Select User Data (2048 bytes/block)
Click Start Extraction
Enter filename as game.iso and click Save
Upon read error dialogue box choose fill with blank zeros for sector and select use this selection for all errors
Copy game.iso and ss.bin to the relevent isobuilder directory (Depending on Xbox 360 or Xbox 1 game)
Run build360.bat (Xbox 360 game) or build.bat (xbox 1 game)
Ensure your burner will set the booktype of DVD+R DL to DVDRom
Burn with CloneCd and choose the image.dvd file

Thanks to everyone at Xboxhacker.net for all their discussions. Now you guys will have to get homebrew running.
Next on the list will be the PS3 and this one will be done much quicker (once it comes out!)

:: Read on about the hacked firmware