The world's most renowned teenage hacker from Italy, Luca Todesco, notably known for his jailbreaking efforts on Apple's iOS operating system, has reportedly managed to jailbreak the recently released Nintendo flagship gaming console, the Nintendo Switch. Todesco managed to get root access to the console's systems by means of employing the same technique that he had used on the iOS 9 devices.

Todesco said that the hack itself was just a proof of concept that he wanted to try out. The jailbreak that he conducted essentially allowed him to access the system and run any possible arbitrary code on the console. Theoretically, this would then allow anyone to alter the Nintendo Switch's system, interface, and other functionalities.

According to Cog Connected, the exploit is just the same bug in the browser software on the older iOS 9, which happens to also be present in the Nintendo Switch. The jailbreaking code has been made available, and it consists of a web server that enables a code to be sent to the console via its browser.

Todesco also mentioned that the Nintendo Switch uses a certain hidden WebKit browser, which is essential when the device needs to be connected to a Wi-Fi network. Taking advantage of the browser no being connected to the console's main operating system would allow users to send commands to the Switch and affect its basic functions.

According to The Verge, the exploit reveals that it is basically just the same process found on the WebKit in the Apple iOS 9.3.5 and older iOS versions. The exploit, which was officially named CVE-2016-4657, is also very easy and direct to execute using any device that runs an unprotected version of the WebKit.

Despite the jailbreak, the Nintendo Switch hack doesn't necessarily mean that there will now be pirated games made for the console anytime soon. As said by several experts, development of these kinds of hacks take time, and console manufacturers are already prepared and ready for these kinds of infiltrations ever since the mass hacking of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles.

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