'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast

'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast
Kevin Poulsen, SecurityFocus 2003-05-08

Hacker-engineer Andrew "Bunnie" Huang says he's already pre-sold between 400 and 500 copies of his self-published tell-all "Hacking the Xbox: an Introduction to Reverse Engineering," weeks before its scheduled May 27th publication date, despite -- or perhaps because of -- looming suspicions by some that the book skirts the edges of legality.

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-08
Anonymous (2 replies)

"It' s about getting the book out there on principle"

Really? So how about releasing it for free on PDF?...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-11
Anonymous

I say publish it. I am sure there's alot of curious individuals out there!!...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
Anonymous

Check the P2P sharing programs. I'm sure someone will scan it to PDF and upload it there fairly soon after publication. :-D...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-09
Anonymous (1 replies)

I wonder if any Canadian or European publishers would consider taking up the publication of this book? After all, the DMCA doesn't apply to other countries (although it still has weight in them). Furthermore, has ever considered "copy-lefting" the book and publishing it on a webserver located in C...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
Anonymous

Actually, the WIPO treaty was adopted by many countries. However, there are some countries where this could be published with little or no consequence....

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-09
Anonymous (2 replies)

The analogy between car service manuals and X-Box tinkering is valid. Can you imagine buying a car with the stipulation from the maunufacturer that forbids you under penalty of law from modifying the engine/suspension or stereo system?...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-09
Anonymous (2 replies)

" The analogy between car service manuals and X-Box tinkering is valid. Can you imagine buying a car with the stipulation from the maunufacturer that forbids you under penalty of law from modifying the engine/suspension or stereo system?"

Spoken to any mechanics lately? We're already moving in th...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
Anonymous

You are absolutely incorrect. ODBII, the system used in modern cars for diagnostics and control of certain car subsystems, is a published standard protocol and you can write your own software for it if you'd like. There are already several packages out there that allow you to do generic ODBII and ...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
Anonymous

Obviously tinkering with the computer in your car should void the warranty, but be no means should there ever be a law to stop you from doing it.. Didnt they try that with mattress tags? ...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-10
Anonymous (4 replies)

Actually this ios not a valid comparison - devices such as the xbox deal with intellectual property that has a huge R&D investment behind it.

While a car manual may have instructions on how to swap components that have been comoditized for many years, it does not give you instructions on how to h...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
Roger

"Actually this ios not a valid comparison - devices such as the xbox deal with intellectual property that has a huge R&D investment behind it."

Which I reward by *purchasing* the product, which then becomes *mine* to do with as I please.

"just how to replace the component(s)so that you can run...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
doc (1 replies)

What am I spending my money on if its not to OWN an xbox... this is very scary, the gov't has once again allowed big business to shaft its citzens in the privacy of their home.

what is the legal reasoning behind not allowing me to edit my xbox?

if i smash my xbox to peices, is that illegal too...

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Good Point!! 2003-05-16
Andrew Ramirez <Atari1110 (at) yahoo (dot) com [email concealed]>

I agree with you. You have a really good point!!! I totally think MS is moving in this direction with the MDMA just so they can have a towering authority of technology and money....

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
Remy (1 replies)

Disconcur. An automobile has a comprable amount of IP and R&D involved in its production.

Yet we can swap components, upgrade, etc. Some makers try and make it hard, "securing" their car with extra bolts, locks, force-fit components, etc. Software locks too.

But for decades, it was the underst...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-14
Anonymous (1 replies)

Yes, I understand all of your concerns, but the BIG picture here has nothing to do with just making simple modifications to your Xbox, like running Linux on it. This issue has to deal with modifying it and using it in an illeagal manner, like stealing games. A man is writing a book teaching people ...

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Re: 'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2005-09-19
Anonymous

The real issue is not the X box or Microsoft. The real issue is that MS has decided it is their right to tell me what I can and cannot do with their product. When in reality I paid them for it and if I wanna make it play all my old Nintendo games instead of their overpriced crap then by god thats wh...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
Roland Hagge <Stop-porn-spam (at) here (dot) ws [email concealed]>

I'm sorry but to get a car to market the car company have spent billions of dollar in R&D. That is the reson why "small" company like Volvo, Saab, Jaguar, RR to name a few. Couldn't stay in bussiness by them self.

When I have bought something, i't damn mine to do what I like to do with it. I have...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-09
morgan

Did anyone notice this evildoer's alias is "Bunnie"?

Let's imprison anything pink.

morgan @ ircsnet...

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Reply to top comment 2003-05-09
Anonymous (3 replies)

It's about getting it out on principle and it's also about earning Bunnie some WELL-deserved money from his work. I for one, have bought the book, and I would've paid even more if necessary. Don't be cheap and disguise it as "principles"....

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I agree 2003-05-10
Tyro

Writing anything book-like is not an easy process, that plus his years of knowledge on the area. I think it is perfectally justified for him to charge money.

If anything Microsoft should be buying this book (and Sony and Nintendo etc) and reserching ways to make the hacking harder....

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Reply to top comment 2003-05-10
lowtec (1 replies)

I agree, the book looks really excellent and well worth the money.

I don't even have an xbox yet, but plan on getting one just to learn some more about reverse engineering with this book....

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Reply to top comment 2003-05-12
Anonymous

I bought his book simply to support individuals who do their own research. Give me a break! It cant possibly be against the law to do anything to your X-Box. If I wanted I could bash the damn thing with a basball bat or run over it with my truck... Whats to stop me from ripping the thing apart a...

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I also agree 2003-05-12
Anonymous player (1 replies)

Further, I put my money where my mouth is and ordered the book too. Even though I have no plans to ever get an Xbox. :-)...

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I put my money where my mouth is. 2003-05-16
qubex

I don't have an Xbox and I'm not sure I'm going to get one, but I've ordered the book too. I would have paid double. It takes tungsten balls to tango with Microsoft, and "Bunny" deserves all the support he can get for going through with this.

I'm not a videogamer myself (I've had a PS2 for almos...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-11
David (1 replies)

Who's right is it to come into my house and tell me that I can't look inside a TV and tinker around with it?

Intellectual Property... that's some bullshit. I will do what I want to anything I own.

To proprietary Intellectual Property Manufacturers:

"If you don't want me to change your prod...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-14
Anonymous (1 replies)

Good luck, David. In America today, commercial interests are rapidly prevailing over community interests.

It's in the commericial interest to maximize profit and to keep you in line. Government is completely and utterly in the hands of powerful private interests through political donations and ...

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Re: 'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2005-09-19
Anonymous

Microsoft gripped out throat the minute they stole Macintosh's Code and Screwed all of us out of our lives the same way they screwed IBM out of all of bill's income. Microsoft had no right taking Apple's OS any more then we have to take X Box games. But Im not watching the hand that pets the puppy M...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
WarMonger

I guess what bothers me the most is that it appears we have gone from buying the hardware, software, and being the legal owners, to only being a lease holder, allowing the true owner, "Micro$oft" to dictate what we can do with their property. I forsee in the future further erosion of our rights due ...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
CyberWolf (1 replies)

America is all about FREEDOM, freedom of thinking should not be altered by risks of lawsuits by companies like Microsoft….

Personally, I think that once you have paid for a product you should have the rights to modify it as you wish. If someone wants to run Linux on a Xbox, why not!

...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-13
Anonymous (1 replies)

Microsoft is selling the Xboxes at a loss, hoping to make up for this loss with software sales. Essentially, the xbox is a small pc, so almost expected for them to have an active interest in making sure people *buy* the software. But all the modchips out there allow pirated games to be run. See t...

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Re: 'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2005-09-19
Anonymous

Naah You make your money back in the counter suit for debasement of character and harassment...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-12
Anonymous

"This is the first time someone's told me I can't play with hardware because it's illegal."

Waaaaaa - what a baby. There are a lot of things are are illegal that we get slapped down on. I guess the laws down't apply here - lost in his only little world....

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why banned, though? 2003-05-13
jsvlrt (at) yahoo (dot) com [email concealed], h_bugtraq (at) yahoo (dot) com [email concealed]

ok, there's been a lot of ridicule about stopping modification, but lets look at why microsoft don't want 'us' to hack their hardware..

as far as I can tell, it seems that microsoft have no reason to want this book banned - the book doesn't tell you how to make an X-Box using just dustbin lids and ...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-15
pacotacos

lol.....anyone who mods a X-box or console for that matter will eventually and ultimately copy games....look how tempting it is to rent a game for $3 and have it for life without actually buying it. You know you would do it. If there was a candybar inside a store near the door and you were about t...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-15
Cheshire Cat ^..^ (2 replies)

To comment on two above comments.

1. MS doesn't have to prove that you modded XBox to steal games. They just need to prove that you violated DMCA. And in order to violate you just need to hack (crack, bypass, whatever) protection system. The moment you do something the manufacturer didn't want yo...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-16
Anonymous

I for one would LOVE to see someone get prosecuted under the DCMA for modding an X-Box. The EFF and ACLU need to come together behind the poor lightning rod who first gets sued, and prove that the DCMA is unconstitutional and get it thrown out. If I were still single, I would go buy one and advert...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-19
Rob

I agree.. and it's the thing that scares me the most. I'm no hardware hacker, but just the idea of having bought something which isn't really mine, which I can't do with what I want makes me frustrated, and that's because I know it's simply not right. If I think about it I get really angry.. why? Be...

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-15
Anonymous (1 replies)

Why is Microsoft always so militant when it comes to hacks for their products? Get it out in the open so they can do something about it, instead of trying to hide everything!!...

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Some people need better things to do in their spare time 2003-05-16
Anonymous

Why shouldn't they be militant!? Jesus, do you let kids tamper with your door lock to see if they can find new ways to break in? Honestly, Microsoft released a game console - you are supposed to do just that - PLAY GAMES.

I am consistently amazed at how many linux fanatics there are out there jus...

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Fast cars and 'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-16
An old fart (1 replies)

Back when a friend dropped a Chevy 256 V8 into a Nash. Didn't change the outside at all. The only thing you could see without raising the hood was that the oil pan was pretty low to the ground.

He'd sit at stoplights next so some guy with a hot looking car and wave his pink slip.

His car was ...

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Fast cars and 'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-18
Anonymous

that about sums it up old man, but that previous poster would have been the buzzkill that forced the formation and emplementation of the epa which stands to end engine swapping. "whats wrong with driving a car with a stock engine?" "you greese monkeys have nothing better to do"- previous poster...

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'Banned' Xbox Book isn't worth $20.00 2003-05-19
Anonymous (1 replies)

If you want to learn how to put Linux on an Xbox, all you have to do is get the Winter 2002-2003 issue of 2600 magazine. It only costs $5.00 for a back issue and it explains very clearly how to put Linux on an Xbox....

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'Banned' Xbox Book isn't worth $20.00 2003-05-19
lowtec

If you read the book title it tells you a lot more than just how to put linux on an xbox.

Some very interesting hardware hacking too....

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'Banned' Xbox Hacking Book Selling Fast 2003-05-19
Boutzev

Well, when I buy a game console, I don't rent it. Therefore I have the right to do what I want with it (disassemble it, reverse engineer it, etc). If Microsoft really wants to own the console, they should NOT sell it, but give it for rent.

The anagoly with cars was used many time in this thread. ...

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