Hacking the Xbox An Introduction to Reverse Engineering

291 Pages·2013·17.762 MB·English

by  Andrew Huang

$24.99 ($34.99 CDN)
SHELVE IN: PC HARDWARE/GENERAL
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Get Hacking the Xbox before Microsoft Does!
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This hands-on guide to hacking was canceled by the original
publisher out of fear of DMCA-related lawsuits. Following the N
author’s self-publication of the book (during which time he sold the Xbox
thousands directly), Hacking the Xbox is now brought to you by G
No Starch Press.
Hacking the Xbox begins with a few step-by-step tutorials on
hardware modifications that teach basic hacking techniques as T
well as essential reverse engineering skills. It progresses into An Introduction to Reverse Engineering
a discussion of the Xbox security mechanisms and other advanced H
hacking topics, emphasizing the important subjects of computer
security and reverse engineering. The book includes numerous E
practical guides, such as where to get hacking gear, soldering
techniques, debugging tips, and an Xbox hardware reference guide.
Hacking the Xbox confronts the social and political issues facing
X
today’s hacker, and introduces readers to the humans behind the
hacks through several interviews with master hackers. It looks at
B Andrew “bunnie” Huang
the potential impact of today’s legal challenges to legitimate
reverse engineering activities, which are further examined in a
O
chapter contributed by Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier
Foundation (EFF) about the rights and responsibilities of
X
hackers. The book concludes with a discussion of the latest
trends and vulnerabilities in secure PC platforms.
B
Hurry and get Hacking the Xbox before Microsoft does!
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ISBN 1-59327-029-1
52499>
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Dear Reader,
Thank you for downloading and reading this book.
No Starch Press and I have decided to release this free ebook version
of Hacking the Xbox in honor of Aaron Swartz. As you read this book, I
hope that you’ll be reminded of how important freedom is to the hacking
community and that you’ll be inclined to support the causes that Aaron
believed in.
I agreed to release this book for free in part because Aaron’s treatment by
MIT is not unfamiliar to me. In this book, you will find the story of when
I was an MIT graduate student, extracting security keys from the original
Microsoft Xbox. You’ll also read about the crushing disappointment of
receiving a letter from MIT legal repudiating any association with my
work, effectively leaving me on my own to face Microsoft.
The difference was that the faculty of my lab, the AI laboratory, were
outraged by this treatment. They openly defied MIT legal and vowed
to publish my work as an official “AI Lab Memo,” thereby granting me
greater negotiating leverage with Microsoft. Microsoft, mindful of the
potential backlash from the court of public opinion over suing a legitimate
academic researcher, came to a civil understanding with me over the issue.
It saddens me that America’s so-called government for the people, by the
people, and of the people has less compassion and enlightenment toward
their fellow man than a corporation. Having been a party to subsequent
legal bullying by other entities, I am all too familiar with how ugly and
gut-wrenching a high-stakes lawsuit can be. Fortunately, the stakes in my
cases were not as high, nor were my adversaries as formidable as Aaron’s,
or I too might have succumbed to hopelessness and fear. A few years ago,
I started rebuilding my life overseas, and I find a quantum of solace in the
thought that my residence abroad makes it a little more difficult for me to
be served.
While the US legal system strives for justice, the rules of the system
create an asymmetric war that favors those with resources. By far one of
the most effective methods to force a conclusion, right or wrong, against
a small player is to simply bleed them of resources and the will to fight
through pre-trial antics. Your entire life feels like it is under an electron
microscope, with every tiny blemish magnified into a pitched battle of
motions, countermotions, discovery, subpoenas, and affidavits, and each
action heaping tens of thousands of dollars onto your legal bill. Your
friends, co-workers, employers, and family are drawn into this circus of
humiliation as witnesses. Worse, you’re counseled not to speak candidly
to anyone, lest they be summoned as a witness against you. Isolated
and afraid, it eventually makes more sense to roll over and settle than to
take the risk of losing on a technicality versus a better-funded adversary,
regardless of the justice.
The US government is far and away the best-funded and fearsome enemy
in the world, and copyright law has some unusually large, if not cruel,
penalties associated with it. I never knew Aaron, but I feel that the magni-
tude of the bullying he was subjected to is reflected in his decision to end
his life.
I echo Larry Lessig’s notion that the US legal system needs a sense of
shame. To an outsider like me, it seems that certain prosecutors in the
US government are obsessed with making a name for themselves at the
expense of the individuals they pursue. Winning cases gains them the rec-
ognition and credibility needed for promotions and assignments to ever
higher profile cases. For them, it’s not about justice—it’s about victory
and self-aggrandizement.
This system of incentives contributes to the shameless bullying of indi-
viduals and small entities who have the guts to stand up and do something
daring. Individuals are robbed of the will and strength to fight for what
they feel is right, as the mere act of prosecution can be as much a punish-
ment as the verdict. As a result, I fear that the era of civil disobedience
may be coming to a close.
As people, as individuals, as hackers, we need to oppose this trend and
continue to do what we feel deep down in our hearts is right. While
Aaron’s story came to a tragic end, I hope that in this book you will find
an encouraging story with a happy ending. Without the right to tinker
and explore, we risk becoming enslaved by technology; and the more we
exercise the right to hack, the harder it will be to take that right away.
bunnie
Singapore, March 2013
Hacking the Xbox
An Introduction to Reverse Engineering
Unlimited Edition

Hacking the Xbox
An Introduction to Reverse Engineering
Unlimited Edition
Andrew “bunnie” Huang
No Starch Press, Inc.
San Francisco
HACKING THE XBOX. Copyright © 2003 by Xenatera LLC.
Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attri-
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Press, Inc. directly:
No Starch Press, Inc.
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Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; [e-mail];
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The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the
author nor No Starch Press, Inc. shall have any liability to any person or entity with
respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly
by the information contained in it.
ISBN 1-59327-029-1
In memory of Aaron Swartz