Hackers Uncover Nintendo Switch 2 Exploit Just One Day Post-Launch — Minor Hack Enables Custom Code Execution on OS

Boy, you ever heard about those tech wizards who keep poking around in places they probably shouldn’t? Yeah, so there’s this dude, David Buchanan. Pretty sure he’s a brainiac or something because, right out the gate, he finds this hiccup in the new Nintendo Switch 2. No joke! He’s on Bluesky, just hanging out, and bam, there it is—a flaw in the console’s shared library or whatever.

So, the exploit he talks about? It’s all fancy-talk: userland Return-Oriented Programming. Whew! Sounds like a mouthful, right? Basically, he’s like a magician rerouting things here and there. swaps out one set of instructions for another. Next thing you know, custom checkerboard graphics are popping up instead of your regular game junk. Wild!

Now, there’s a picture he shares—like, you gotta see it to believe it, they say. The graphics look bizarre, almost like your mind’s playing tricks on you. But nope, it’s totally Buchanan’s doing.

But here’s the kicker – this thing’s kinda just for kicks right now. It’s not some big bad jailbreak. Nah, your Switch 2 is safe from meltdown or anything, since it’s more of a user-level thing. Something about not touching the kernel. Honestly, I’m not 100% on this tech lingo—all I know is your console’s safe from the hacker apocalypse.

Nintendo’s reputation for defending its turf? Legendary. Ever heard they might even brick your console for messing with stuff? Yep, things are that serious. Their agreements practically shout “Don’t mess with our stuff!”

Ah, but it’s early days for the Switch 2. Who knows? Could be a while before someone really cracks it wide open. A custom OS might be on a hacker’s wish list, though. And when it happens? Let’s just watch how Nintendo plays it. Might be popcorn-worthy drama.

Oh, by the way, following tech news is a thing you might wanna do. Just saying—Tom’s Hardware might have some goodies for your brain. Keep those notifications on, folks!