Xbox 360 gaming consoles can now be hacked using a USB key

Inquisitive hacker minds have discovered a new way to run any application or game on the Xbox 360 console. A software exploit called BadUpdate has been published on GitHub, allowing a USB key to be used to break Microsoft’s hypervisor protection and run unsigned code and games. According to the researchers, this method requires “time and patience.”

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YouTube channel Modern Vintage Gamer tested the use of the BadUpdate exploit. Researchers claim that the user does not even need to open the Xbox 360 console to hack it. Unlike the RGH or JTAG exploits for the Xbox 360, the BadUpdate method only requires a USB key, the exploit code, and a trial version of Rock Band Blitz, which will help to enable the bypass. The exploit code is hosted in a GitHub repository and even comes with a quick guide.

According to Modern Vintage Gamer, with enough time and patience, a user can launch the Xbox 360 Home App Store, which includes games, apps, emulators, utilities, and even custom control panels.

There are some limitations, of course. To use BadUpdate, the owner will have to manually patch every executable they want to run on the Xbox 360. Since the exploit uses Microsoft’s own hypervisor on the Xbox 360, it will have to be run every time the console boots. According to a review by Modern Vintage Gamer, the exploit is “not always reliable and takes some time to implement.”