Jailbreaking the Switch 2
A developer has released a tethered jailbreak for the Nintendo Switch 2, enabling homebrew software and game modifications. The process involved using WebKit exploits and custom hardware to bypass system security.
Why it matters
This represents a significant security breach for a new gaming console, impacting digital rights management and software integrity.
You can get a copy of the exploit from the ns2jb repository.
ns2jb is a software-only, tethered jailbreak for the Switch 2. It allows running arbitrary native code as any ordinary sysmodule, and as the built-in fs sysmodule. This lets us run homebrew, reverse engineer and mod Switch 2 games, back up save files off the Switch, and access most of the Switch 2’s peripherals through MMIO. To my knowledge, it’s the first such exploit for the Switch 2.
To demonstrate the capabilities of this jailbreak, Codex modded a Switch 2 exclusive, Mario Kart World. Thanks to my friends in Dabney House who helped me choose characters to add and playtest the game.
The very first thing I did was set up a harness around the Switch 1 and 2 so Codex could, ideally, jailbreak the Switch 2 without me:
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