Re: Online Games Consoles and Security Implications

[Vasisht Tadigotla <vasisht () eden rutgers edu>]

On Wed, 22 May 2002, Ryan Verner wrote:

> > If you could install Linux on an Xbox, which has a harddisk unlike
> > Dreamcast where you have to load the OS everytime you boot, you might have
> > a problem. In anycase Xbox is a kind of a PC anyway and would be
>
> If someone wants to hack up their Xbox to do something other than what the
> manafacturer (Microsoft) intended, then I don't think any "Security
> Implications" are really much of a concern in context.  It isn't their
> problem.  Its your problem, as the one who modified the equimpment.
>
> Besides, I'm sure installing Linux would break the warranty - enough said.

Once you install Linux it's no different from a normal PC anyway. But as
someone else on the list pointed out, what about the restricted version of
windows which comes default with the Xbox. It could be subject to a
DoS. The implications are not huge I admit, you might lose your game data
but it's still a vulnerability if such an attack is possible.

I'm taking a wild guess as I do not know what kind of Windows the Xbox
has, maybe you could remotely access files on the disk, use it as a client
for some distributed attack so on and so forth


vasisht