Hacking the Xbox: An Introduction to Reverse Engineering FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Many legendary engineers got their start with a soldering iron, taking apart and assembling radios, phones, and computers. In those halcyon days, many devices even came with schematics! Nowadays, neither the manufacturers nor the law are quite so friendly. But one current device is especially splendid for hardware hacking: Microsoftﾽs Xbox.
Almost a PC, this sub-$200 device can be made to do anything from running Linux to serving as a complete media center. And the reverse-engineering skills you learn with it are incredibly useful in all manner of (licit) pursuits. Thatﾽs where Hacking the Xbox comes in.
Andrew ﾽBunnyﾽ Huang introduces the ideas and techniques you need to decipher just about any device and walks through several common Xbox mods, taking all the intimidation out of hardware hacking. (Well, almost all. You do want to read the guest chapter full of legal advice on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.)
Youﾽll start by learning how to ﾽreadﾽ a circuit board (Huang answers some of those questions youﾽve always wondered about, e.g., why do some circuit board traces seem to meander aimlessly?) Then, youﾽll get to work, starting simple (replacing the LED with a cool blue one), and working your way up to the big Kahuna: Xbox security.
Huangﾽs incredibly useful appendices tell you where to get your gear (some electronics distributors are friendlier than others) and offer practical introductions to soldering, PCB layout, FPGAs, and hardware debugging.
One major publisher backed away from this book for fear of the legal issues. Seems a shame. Whether you plan to void your Xbox warranty or not, this stuffﾽs just plain fascinating. Bill Camarda
Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
This hands-on guide to hacking Microsoft's powerful video games console starts with step-by-step tutorials on hardware modification that teach basic hacking techniques as well as essential reverse engineering skills. Full discussions of the Xbox security mechanisms and other advanced hacking topics are here, along with practical pointers from hacking gear resources to soldering techniques. Xbox owners are shown exactly how to increase the value and utility of their Xbox, as well as problem-solve.
The book also covers the social and political implications of hacking, profiles the humans behind the hacks in candid interviews, and includes a chapter written by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on the rights and responsibilities of hackers. Debugging tips, a hardware reference guide, and a discussion of the latest trends and vulnerabilities in secure PC platforms wrap it up.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Reverse engineering, the not so gentle art of figuring out
how something works by taking it apart, has been practiced by hardware oriented
geeks and tinkerers for as long as anyone can remember. Itﾽs the way Wozniak
learned to build the first Apple, and itﾽs the way many of todayﾽs young
engineers are learning about hardware engineering.
While many engineers believe that reverse engineering is a
protected right, The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) makes unauthorized
access to intellectual property illegal, including certain types of reverse
engineering. This controversial book, ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ: An Introduction to
Reverse Engineeringﾽ by Andrew ﾽbunnieﾽ Huang, tackles the thorny issue of
reverse engineering head on by showing readers how to hack their Xbox ﾽ.
Originally self-published, ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ has already become a cult classic,
selling thousands of copies through the authorﾽs website in just a couple of
months. Now with the full support of No Starch Press (the only publisher willing
to take the risk), ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ is getting the distribution and exposure
it needs to make it a major bestseller.
ﾽNo Starch Press distinguished itself as the only publisher
with the courage to accept the book without any suggestion of censorship or
caveats,ﾽ says Huang. Even with the possibility of litigation under the DMCA, No
Starch Press publisher Bill Pollock explains why his company is publishing this
controversial book: ﾽThis is about freedom of speech and our First Amendment
rights. Itﾽs also about the way people learn. Itﾽs the way Iﾽve been learning
about hardware since I was 10 years old, when I took apart my first
telephone.ﾽ
With an estimated 8 million units sold, Microsoftﾽs Xbox
video game system is the second most popular gaming console on the market today.
The Xbox is, at its core, nothing more than an inexpensive PC with extra pieces
tacked on to prevent you from using it as such. With a bit of know how, the help
of ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ, and some elbow grease, the Xbox can be turned into a
working PC, media player, or web server.
Using the Xbox as a teaching tool, Huang introduces novice
hackers to basic hacking techniques such as reverse engineering and debugging.
ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ also covers Xbox security mechanisms and other advanced
hacking topics of interest to more seasoned hackers. A chapter written by the
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) rounds out the book with a discussion of
the rights and responsibilities of hackers. The book also includes numerous
practical guides, such as where to get hacking gear, how to use soldering
techniques, debugging tips, and an Xbox hardware reference guide, which make
ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ truly a handbook for a new generation of hackers. So pick up
a screwdriver and start hacking!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew ﾽbunnieﾽ Huang has an extensive background in electronics systems engineering
and received a PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT. His experience includes
work in digital design, reverse engineering, embedded systems design and
programming, board fabrication and assembly, java/C/assembly programming, analog
design, computer architecture, high speed interconnect and signal integrity,
applied cryptography and systems security, and systems
engineering.
SYNOPSIS
This handbook explains how to modify the hardware of an Xbox video game console and turn it into a personal computer, media player, or web server. The author identifies the tools needed for hardware hacking, reviews the layout of a circuit board, provides instructions for replacing a broken power supply, and describes attacks on the Xbox's security measures. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
FROM THE CRITICS
Reverse engineering, the not so gentle art of figuring out
how something works by taking it apart, has been practiced by hardware oriented
geeks and tinkerers for as long as anyone can remember. Itﾽs the way Wozniak
learned to build the first Apple, and itﾽs the way many of todayﾽs young
engineers are learning about hardware engineering.
While many engineers believe that reverse engineering is a
protected right, The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) makes unauthorized
access to intellectual property illegal, including certain types of reverse
engineering. This controversial book, ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ: An Introduction to
Reverse Engineeringﾽ by Andrew ﾽbunnieﾽ Huang, tackles the thorny issue of
reverse engineering head on by showing readers how to hack their Xbox ﾽ.
Originally self-published, ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ has already become a cult classic,
selling thousands of copies through the authorﾽs website in just a couple of
months. Now with the full support of No Starch Press (the only publisher willing
to take the risk), ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ is getting the distribution and exposure
it needs to make it a major bestseller.
ﾽNo Starch Press distinguished itself as the only publisher
with the courage to accept the book without any suggestion of censorship or
caveats,ﾽ says Huang. Even with the possibility of litigation under the DMCA, No
Starch Press publisher Bill Pollock explains why his company is publishing this
controversial book: ﾽThis is about freedom of speech and our First Amendment
rights. Itﾽs also about the way people learn. Itﾽs the way Iﾽve been learning
about hardware since I was 10 years old, when I took apart my first
telephone.ﾽ
With an estimated 8 million units sold, Microsoftﾽs Xbox
video game system is the second most popular gaming console on the market today.
The Xbox is, at its core, nothing more than an inexpensive PC with extra pieces
tacked on to prevent you from using it as such. With a bit of know how, the help
of ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ, and some elbow grease, the Xbox can be turned into a
working PC, media player, or web server.
Using the Xbox as a teaching tool, Huang introduces novice
hackers to basic hacking techniques such as reverse engineering and debugging.
ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ also covers Xbox security mechanisms and other advanced
hacking topics of interest to more seasoned hackers. A chapter written by the
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) rounds out the book with a discussion of
the rights and responsibilities of hackers. The book also includes numerous
practical guides, such as where to get hacking gear, how to use soldering
techniques, debugging tips, and an Xbox hardware reference guide, which make
ﾽHacking the Xboxﾽ truly a handbook for a new generation of hackers. So pick up
a screwdriver and start hacking!
ABOUT THE AUTHORAndrew
ﾽbunnieﾽ Huang has an extensive background in electronics systems engineering
and received a PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT. His experience includes
work in digital design, reverse engineering, embedded systems design and
programming, board fabrication and assembly, java/C/assembly programming, analog
design, computer architecture, high speed interconnect and signal integrity,
applied cryptography and systems security, and systems
engineering.
Home
